Special Delivery (TV series)

Special Delivery

Title card
Country of origin United States
Production
Running time 1 hour
Distributor Nickelodeon
Release
Original network Nickelodeon
Picture format NTSC
Audio format Stereo
Original release 1980 (1980) – 1993 (1993)

Special Delivery is an American anthology series on Nickelodeon, broadcast during weekend afternoons from 1980 until 1993, when the network's original programming output was deemed sufficient to discontinue the block. Special Delivery mainly carried a variety of productions for children purchased by Nickelodeon, including both live-action and animated programming. Much of this programming was made up of children-focused made-for-TV movies produced in Canada in the 1970s and 80s, short films originally made for the ABC Afterschool Special and CBS Schoolbreak Special anthology series, sports specials (often with the time purchased from Nickelodeon by the event's distributors), and some unsold television pilots adapted to an hour-long timeslot.

Overview

Presentations on Special Delivery were varied in focus and origin. A May 1984 issue of Boys' Life referred to the programs shown on Special Delivery as "fill-in shows" compared to the rest of Nickelodeon's lineup.[1] Most programs were aimed at family audiences, but in an attempt to emulate the success of sister network MTV, Nickelodeon occasionally aired rock-and-roll concerts as part of the block.[2] The earliest Special Delivery broadcast was an animated rendition of "Hansel and Gretel", aired on Christmas Day in 1980.[3] According to a March 1983 interview with Nickelodeon's acquisitions manager Eileen Opatut, potential acquisitions for the series were tested in schools before being chosen to air.[2]

Episodes

Title Original Airdate Reference
Hansel and Gretel December 25, 1980 [3]
Robinson Crusoe November 1, 1981 [4]
The Ransom of Red Chief September 20, 1981 [5]
David Johansen in Concert July 25, 1982 [6]
Let the Balloon Go August 7, 1982 [7]
The World According to Nicholas August 7, 1982 [7]
Clay Creatures September 2, 1982 [8]
Kavik the Wolf Dog January 29, 1983 [9]
Clarence and the Ottaway March 5, 1983 [10]
Circustown March 9, 1983 [11]
End of the Game March 1983 [2]
Portrait of Grandpa Doc March 1983 [2]
Adam & the Ants: The Prince Charming Revue July 9, 1983 [12]
Avengers of the Reef July 9, 1983 [13]
Beware, Beware, My Beauty Fair July 9, 1983 [12]
Raisins and Almonds December 9, 1984 [14]
BMX World Championships August 4, 1984 [15]
Bob Welch and Friends August 4, 1984 [15]
School Daze August 4, 1984 [16]
The Adventures of Marco Polo Jr. January 19, 1985 [17]
Reggie Jackson's World of Sports January 19, 1985 [17]
The Americanization of Elias January 19, 1985 [17]
Kids' Writes January 20, 1985 [18]
The Magic Laser July 13, 1985 [19]
Duran Duran in Concert August 18, 1985 [20]
A Movie Star's Daughter October 19, 1986 [21]
Really Rosie November 21, 1987 [22]
The Little Fox November 22, 1987 [23]
The Haunting of Harrington House February 15, 1987 [24]
Little Women February 21, 1987 [24]
The Gnomes' Great Adventure April 2, 1989 [25]
Theresa at the Palace April 8, 1989 [26]
The Electric Grandmother July 22, 1989 [27]
Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics 1989 [28]
All-American Soap Box Derby November 4, 1990 [29]
A Very Merry Cricket December 22, 1990 [30]
Santa's Magic Toy Bag December 22, 1990 [30]
The New Misadventures of Ichabod Crane October 5, 1991 [31]
The Witch Who Turned Pink October 5, 1991 [31]
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde October 5, 1991 [31]
Voyager October 13, 1991 [32]
The Nightingale January 18, 1992 [33]
The Tin Soldier January 18, 1992 [33]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Levitt, H.N. (May 1984). "Nickelodeon: A television channel just for you". Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America. Special Delivery. Fill-in shows that go along with the regularly-scheduled programs with things like films, rock concerts and documentaries.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "What's New on Nickelodeon..." (PDF). Fulton History. Tom Tryniski. March 28, 1983. Special Delivery shows are acquired from all over the globe: from Russia, China, and Australia, to Spain, England and Canada... Potential acquisitions are tested in schools... Some cater to the specific tastes of the younger set, such as rock concerts, whose popularity has been demonstrated by the success of MTV.
  3. 1 2 Seideman, Tony (December 21, 1980). "Christmas specials are plentiful on the cable". Newspapers.com. New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. The lead offering on Nickelodeon will be "Hansel and Gretel," a Special Delivery starring animated models backed by human voices. Cute is the operating word here, though all the nasty remarks about witches eating children should be enough to keep the kids glued to the screens while the parents open their presents.
  4. ↑ "The Portal to Texas History - The Fort Hood Sentinel Vol. 40, No. 26". University of North Texas. October 29, 1981.
  5. ↑ "The Portal to Texas History - The Fort Hood Sentinel Vol. 40, No. 20". University of North Texas. September 17, 1981.
  6. ↑ "The Portal to Texas History - The Fort Hood Sentinel Vol. 41, No. 12". University of North Texas. July 25, 1982.
  7. 1 2 "Television schedule". Press-Republican. August 7, 1982.
  8. ↑ "The Portal to Texas History - The Fort Hood Sentinel Vol. 41, No. 18". University of North Texas. September 2, 1982.
  9. ↑ Smethurst, James. "The Town Talk - January 22, 1983". Newspapers.com. The Town Talk. Nickelodeon's Special Delivery will present the saga of "Kavik the Wolf Dog" on Jan. 29. The drama, starring a Siberian husky and co-starring Ronnie Cox and John Ireland, describes the 2,000-mile odyssey of a champion sled dog attempting to rejoin a young boy who once saved his life.
  10. ↑ "TV Times" (PDF). Fulton History. Tom Tryniski. March 5, 1983.
  11. ↑ "The Meade County Messenger" (PDF). Fulton History. Tom Tryniski. March 9, 1983.
  12. 1 2 "The Portal to Texas History - The Fort Hood Sentinel Vol. 42, No. 9". University of North Texas. July 7, 1983.
  13. ↑ "The Portal to Texas History - The Fort Hood Sentinel Vol. 44, No. 15". University of North Texas. August 15, 1985.
  14. ↑ "The Portal to Texas History - The Fort Hood Sentinel Vol. 43, No. 31". University of North Texas. December 6, 1984.
  15. 1 2 "TV Times" (PDF). Fulton History. Tom Tryniski. August 4, 1984.
  16. ↑ "TV Times" (PDF). Fulton History. Tom Tryniski. August 4, 1984.
  17. 1 2 3 "The Sundance Times: 01/17/1985, Page 14". January 17, 1985. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ "The Sundance Times: TV Log". January 17, 1985. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016.
  19. ↑ "The Sundance Times: TV Log". July 11, 1985. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ "The Portal to Texas History - The Fort Hood Sentinel Vol. 44, No. 15". University of North Texas. August 15, 1985.
  21. ↑ "Daytime TV Schedule" (PDF). Fulton History. Tom Tryniski. October 19, 1986.
  22. ↑ "Saturday, Nov. 21" (PDF). Fulton History. Tom Tryniski. November 21, 1987.
  23. ↑ "Complete Sunday Television Listings" (PDF). Fulton History. Tom Tryniski. November 21, 1987.
  24. 1 2 "Sunday Highlights". Google News. The Victoria Advocate. February 15, 1987.
  25. ↑ "Daily Listings - Harlan News-Advertiser". July 14, 1989.
  26. ↑ "TV week: April 2 thru April 8 - Harlan News-Advertiser". April 1, 1989.
  27. ↑ "TV week: July 16 thru July 22 - Harlan News-Advertiser". July 14, 1989.
  28. ↑ Erickson, Hal (June 30, 2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. McFarland & Company. p. 386. ISBN 0786420995. Grimm's Fairy Tales: This collection of fast-moving hour long versions of classic fairy tales (fast-moving so that the English language voice actors could match the rapid lip movements of the original Japanese animation) was broadcast on weekends as part of Nickelodeon's long-running Special Delivery anthology series.
  29. ↑ Lipton, Lauren (November 4, 1990). "Not soap-but kids clean up at 'The All American Soap Box Derby' on Nick". The Los Angeles Times. ...soap box racers probably come closest to that description. See for yourself with Nickelodeon's Special Delivery: The All American Soap Box Derby... The high-speed sports spectacular was taped Aug. 11-13 and shows that even though soap-box derbies have been going on from time immemorial, the sport is far from being all washed up.
  30. 1 2 Lipton, Lauren (December 16, 1990). "Of, By and For the Children - More Kids' Shows". The Los Angeles Times. An hourlong Special Delivery (Saturday at 2 p.m. Nickelodeon) includes two animated specials. A Very Merry Cricket concerns the holiday adventures of a cat, a mouse and a cricket named Chester, and Santa's Magic Toy Bag reveals what happens when a well-meaning elf accidentally shrinks Santa's sack of toys.
  31. 1 2 3 "The Free Lance-Star Vol. 107, No. 229". Google News Archive. September 28, 1991.
  32. ↑ "The Free Lance-Star Vol. 107, No. 241". Google News Archive. October 12, 1991.
  33. 1 2 Linan, Steven (January 12, 1992). "Of, By and For the Children - More Kids' Shows". The Los Angeles Times. Special Delivery (Saturday at 2 p.m. Nickelodeon) presents adaptations of two Hans Christian Andersen stories: 'The Nightingale' and 'The Tin Soldier.'
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