A Cartoon For Adults

Long before Family Guy or South Park, television's first animated series for adults was The Flintstones. Yes, originally the show was seen as being for adults, not children. That's why Fred and friends openly advertised Winston cigarettes; children were not the intended audience for this cartoon. However, the stereotype of cartoons being solely for children was too strong and Fred soon found himself on Saturday morning television. (Without cigarette ads, of course.) It would take 30 years for shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park and King of the Hill to bust down the "kiddy entertainment" moniker all animated productions instantly received.

(Fred Flintstone is a cartoon drawn onto a plastic sheet, so don't try this at home, kids.)

The Wizard of TV

When The Wizard of Oz first premiered, Louis B. Mayer had high hopes for his technicolor fantasy. Walt Disney had a huge success with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs a few years earlier so MGM was enthusiastic about its family fantasy. The reality, however, was quite different. Despite the lavish budget, The Wizard of Oz was a money losing failure. It would be quickly forgotten and considered a disappointment. Louis B. Mayer would scrap plans for a sequel and sell the Oz rights to his good friend Walt Disney, who never used them in his lifetime.

In the 1950's, however, the film's fortunes would change. The new medium of television would be desperate for programming and turn to Hollywood for packages of films it could buy the rights to air. Initially reluctant to assist, the studios soon warmed to the idea of licensing lesser films for broadcast. Eager to make some extra bucks off old, failed product (the networks weren't too picky) MGM jumped at the chance to wring some cash out of The Wizard of Oz. The movie made its broadcast premiere on CBS in 1956. This time, however, American viewers would wildly embrace a film it had resisted 17 years before. The broadcast was a massive hit, reinvigorating a film MGM had seen as being a mere footnote. Over subsequent airings, The Wizard of Oz would find the fans it couldn't muster in theaters and became a retroactive classic. Had the film not been given a chance by CBS, it very well could have become forgotten. Instead, the new medium of television had proven that it could be a force to be reckoned with and a valuable partner for the film studios.

Today in TV History: Ozzie & Harriet Ends Its 14 Year Run

On 9/3/1966, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet ended a 14 year run. Starting as a radio series, the show made the jump to television in 1952 and ran for over 400 episodes. The show launched the singing career of Ricky Nelson and remains the longest running live action sitcom in television history.

Rejected.... By SNL

In 1980, a then unknown young comic actor auditioned for Saturday Night Live. He was rejected. End of story, right? No, this particular "reject" was John Goodman, who would go on to star in Revenge of the Nerds, Roseanne, The Big Lebowski and so much more.

He would later get the last laugh, hosting the show 12 times and guesting a lot more. Playing a diverse group of characters like Linda Tripp, Neil Diamond's bassist and Wilford Brimley, John stood out from the pack and clearly outshone most of the people actually chosen for SNL that year.

Beanes of Boston - The Lost Pilot

It seemed like Garry Marshall could do no wrong in the 1970's. Happy Days, The Odd Couple, Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley were all huge hits that made Mr. Marshall a super-producer. It's obvious why any network would get on board with any project he brought to them.

So when Garry decided to bring the BBC's classic sitcom Are You Being Served? to the United States, it was a no-brainer for CBS to order a pilot. He quickly cast the new show-

Lorna Patterson, best known as the singing stewardess in Airplane, played Miss Brahms. Larry Bishop was Mr. Lucas. Laugh-In's Alan Sues would play Mr. Humphries. When SAG wouldn't allow Frank Thornton to reprise his role as Captain Peacock, John Hillerman from Magnum, P.I. stepped in. Rounding out the cast was Charlotte Rae as Mrs. Slocombe.

Rather than work at Grace Brothers, the U.S. crew worked at the "Beanes of Boston" department store owned by Frank Beane, played by Tom Poston. After viewing the pilot, CBS did a rare thing for a Garry Marshall production- it rejected it. The project died out and its pilot episode was "burned off" by CBS in the summer of 1979 back when the networks used to air their unsold pilots in the summer months.

Since no pictures or footage of Beanes are publicly available, here's a vintage picture of our favorite shop staff, all of whom are attending the Grace Brothers in the sky.

Today in TV History: Star Trek Gets Canceled

On September 2, 1969 the original Star Trek was canceled by NBC. Originally produced by Lucille Ball's Desilu Studios, Star Trek built on its core group of fans and quickly recovered from its cancellation by becoming a phenomenon. It spawned a movie series, animated cartoon, many spinoff shows and an attraction in Las Vegas.

Matt Groening's Cromulent Switcheroo

When Fox originally approached Matt Groening to produce short cartoons that would air on The Tracey Ullman Show, they wanted him to base the shorts on his comic strip Life in Hell. A meeting between Matt and Fox executives was quickly scheduled and he prepared some concept drawings for them to look at.

While Mr. Groening sat in Fox's waiting room, however, he began to panic. These were his characters, his life's work. He would have to sign away his rights to them to get these cartoons made. What if the show got canceled? Matt pondered walking out of the building completely. 

But then, he had a spark of  inspiration. He quickly began drawing a strange looking family. The cartoon could follow their adventures. He wasn't sure if the network would like the idea, but at least he wouldn't burn any bridges by walking out. 

The executives loved the idea. Using his Life in Hell characters might have been too edgy. But this dysfunctional family? They'd be perfect. Strange to think that the phenomenon that became The Simpsons began on a whim.

Good Times Oddities!

Good Times, of course, was the groundbreaking 1970's sitcom that aimed to show a realistic look at life in the projects. Except.....

There were strange age differences between cast members- Esther Rolle was 19 years older than her television husband John Amos. John Amos was only 8 years older than his television son Jimmie Walker. Even more interesting, the "older woman" Willonia was played by Ja'net Dubois who was only 2 years older than the "teenaged" Jimmie Walker.

Welcome to Temporary Layoffs! A Journey Through the World of TV!

Looking for somewhere where everybody knows your name? Ever wanted a talking horse named Mr. Ed or a helper monkey named Mojo? Do you know which show used to host its guests at the "fabulous" Blaine Hotel? Then this is the place for you! Heck, even if you just want to know what those things are, this is the place for you! Named after a line from the theme song of the 1970's sitcom classic Good Times, TemporaryLayoffs.com aims to bring you the best, worst and most obscure of television. Welcome!