Eldergays, Tell Me About The New Zoo Revue

It's three delightful animals who have fun with what they do!

As an adult I now understand that Freddie was a dim twink, Charlie was a prissy old queen and Henrietta an overweight fag hag. It all makes more sense now.

It was new, it was a revue, and it was at a zoo.

This was just slightly AFTER my time... More of a Gen-X thing I guess... I remember the theme song though, so I must have watched it some - "It's the New Zoo Reviewwwww, comin' right at you..."

"Coming right at YOU!!!!!!!!!"

How about this? Yikes!

I don't know, but I sure remember watching it (and Captain Kangaroo and Captain Noah) before having to run out and catch the school bus to elementary school.

I haven't thought about this show in decades!! Loved it as a child

Chuck Woolery played Mr. Dingle, the mailman.

Yup.

Loved this show (I'm mid-40s). What a bunch of wackadoos. Charlie the Owl was a real asshole. I wanted to live in his treehouse though. . . .

I'm obsessed, It's terrible, but I can't stop watching.

"New Zoo Revue" is "Bear in the Big Blue House"'s bitch.

It was awful. Even as a child I hated it. Freddy the Frog, Henrietta Hippo and Charlie the Owl were pleasant enough characters, but humans Doug and Emmy Jo were cloyingly goody-goody. While I didn't have the words to articulate the thought, I always suspected this was a show with heavy Christian agenda. Never re-watched it as an adult, but I still harbor a desire to slap Emmy Jo's face.

I'm trying to decide if Doug had any sex appeal at all. Surprised to read he was 25 when it started. He looks a decade older.

I hated it too. But my mother would turn it on for me when I was home sick. Didn't she know I wanted to watch her stories with her and comment on the hairstyles and fashions?

Doug was majorly packing. The initial shows filmed at the WKYC studios and had to be reshot with different lighting and angles to deemphasize Doug's bulge as station executives refused to use them as filmed. Doug never appeared in anything but dark slacks after that. He ordered some compression underwear from International Male catalog to hold him in and they were apparently uncomfortable as he used to openly joke to the director whenever shooting ran over he would have to sing Emmy Jo's parts. Emmy Jo apparently got intrigued by the on set talk. She obviously set her hat for Doug and he not only dumped his unibrow middle eastern girlfriend, he ended up marrying Emmy Jo.

Nice try, but they were already married.

Doug cheated on her with the hippo.

Is it any worse than Zoobilee Zoo?

This was my favorite show when I was a kid.

[quote] It was new, it was a revue, and it was at a zoo.

Perfect answer, R2 (Henrietta Hippo). That says it all and it's all that needs to be said.

We bought a zoo!

I loved New Zoo Review. You had to get up early to see it though.

Here's one for tri-state areas Gen-X'ers. Who remembers "The Patchwork Family"?

New Zoo Revue - Intro and Theme Song

It was dumb they should've lost those dumb animals and dorky Doug and just had Emmy Jo dance around in her airplane skirt and go-go boots.

Emmy Jo had total post-gogo Era glamor and sex appeal. Doug had nothing to offer.

I watched it anyway, for the camp humor.

It was the poor man's Electric Company. I always wanted to know what happened to the old zoo.

No, it was H.R. Pufnstuff without the drugs.

I was a teenager when it came out-still thought it was amusing enough, even on pot. At least it wasn't mind-molding propaganda and crap like Sez' Me Shhtreet.

R12..really. Is that you I hear clanking around in the crawlspace, with the campsite shovel and the bag of quicklime?

A zoo was acquired.

Was there an Old Zoo Revue or a Zoo Revue prior to the New Zoo Revue?

Well, it sure wasn't H.R. Puff 'n Stuff!

Why do all of these nostalgia threads begin with "eldergays"? I am not one, except by DL standards, being 35, but this really annoys.

R31, I picture little Billy Batson asking these questions from his immortal (gay) elders, seeking wisdom and guidance in an unsure and cruel world.

I also picture his elder Mentor stuffing him regularly in the back of a beat-up camper.

But that's just me.

And since we're on the brief aside of the Elders, I'm sure many of us pulled out our magic amulet from under our shirts as little gaylings and chanted the ancient incantation, ""O zephyr winds which blow on high, lift me now so I can fly!"

Zoo!

I love that a thread about some random kid show from the 70s is getting buzz on here. My 60s and 70s trivia game is getting so much stronger the longer I am here

You're welcome.

Even my 5-year-old eyes could see the "special friendship" between Emmy Jo and Henrietta.

Charlie the Owl was played by Sharon Baird, one of the original Mouseketeers.

True story.

And this, my loves, was Henrietta Hippo.

Yes, that is golden goddess Miss Larri Thomas.

Why was a frog in a zoo? Are frogs normally in zoos? Did they ever address that?

[quote]Why was a frog in a zoo? Are frogs normally in zoos? Did they ever address that?

Freddie was "special," like Corky from "Life Goes On" and Tim Tebow.

The chick at R38 looks like a future bull dyke.

She really was a homely kid, wasn't she, R42? That explains why one of her other roles was "Sa" on Land of the Lost. (Note: Sa is not the little blond girl in the linked image).

That sho is ugly, R43!

God, I couldn't stand that show. But my older sister loved it. I only liked the theme song, and nothing else. And Henrietta Hippo truly annoyed the fuck out of seven-year-old me.

Another crap show my sister adored was "The Magic Garden." I just remember it as two long-haired snatch snackers sitting under a tree, singing shitty songs. I have no idea what my sister, or any other kid, saw of interest in that show.

If two snatch snackers were modern-day puf'n'stuffers, R45, they'd have over a million Youtube followers and their own thread on DL.

New Zoo Review was neither new nor a zoo nor a review.

Discuss.

Linda, it was "revue". Time to get verklempt.

R39, I think that's actually Mamie Van Doren.

I remember watching it infrequently because it came on at 7:00 or 7:30 in my area, and I didn't like to get up that early. I can remember the most stupid trivia about 70s/80s TV, but have very little recollection of this show.

Tri-state baby boomer here who vaguely recalls this program, although I didn't like it very much because it seemed kind of stupid. The Magic Garden was so bad, it was actually pretty good. I mean between the pink squirrel and the chuckle patch, even as a fairly innocent kid I figured out substances were being alluded to, shall we say.

All this nostalgia is making me want to start a thread about Zoom!

Do it, R51!

I hated New Zoo Review but thought the Shazam/Isis hour kicked ass.

I remember watching as a kid and thinking "what the fuck?" Not so much the animals - but the people. Why would those animals want to hang out w such duds?

All the episodes were pretty much alike. The characters sang lame songs and occasionally learned lame lessons. Nothing much happened and there was seldom hope that anything was going to start happening. There was,however, a hilarious number here Henrietta Hippo's house was on fire. That was exciting. It used to be on YouTube but it's gone now.

As someone said, this show was on too early for me.

The shows I watched (Chicago, in the early seventies) were Garfield Goose/Ray Rayner/Bozo's Circus/BJ and Dirty Dragon/Gigglesnort Hotel.

Also, Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Zoom.

Knew it was lame even as a tyke. Hated how the animals' mouths would keep on bouncing even after they had finished "speaking". The humans were drips, though Emmy Jo was pretty.

I concur with R9, I SO wanted to live in Charley the owl's elevator/tree house.

More outtakes.

LOL! well, I loved New Zoo Revue. The humans though I thought were annoying ,but I loved the animals a lot. My mother said to me years later, I watched that show with you when you were 4-5 years old because you loved the show ,but it drove me nuts but I bared with it.

I loved Bozo the clown's show because the amount of toys kids won just amazed me. I loved Romper Room when the lady of the shoe looked through a hand held mirror and she called all of the names of the kids who were watching her show that day. One time she said my name and my mouth drop open. I said, mommie! she saw me today! LOL! Obviously the names she mentioned were standard generic names.

[quote]it drove me nuts but I bared with it.

You mother sounds like a pervert, baring herself in front of a kids show on TV.

I loved Shazam and Isis as a little kid!

[quote] I loved Shazam and Isis as a little kid!

I bet you dressed up as Isis, right?

It was a poor man's Barney. But I haven't thought about that hippo since I was ten. Oh the trash we let in our heads as children!

[quote]Emmy Jo had total post-gogo Era glamor and sex appeal. Doug had nothing to offer.

Yet Doug married Emmy Jo in real life, so he must've had something, I'm talkin' downtown.

I loved Henrietta the hippo so much. She reminded me of my mom.

Was Henretta the model for Suzanne Sugarbaker and Blanche Devereaux?

[quote] I loved Henrietta the hippo so much. She reminded me of my mom.

Why?

Fat n southern, r66.

It's quite an unusual thing, the animals have such bling, with Doogie Houser and Emmy Jew, the kid was gay, who knew

it's the zoo's new revue coming right at you

[quote]Yet Doug married Emmy Jo in real life, so he must've had something, I'm talkin' downtown.

Doug was weird-looking with an appalling wardrobe, but, yeah, he had BDF.

The whiny frog was an asshole and Henrietta couldn't sing for shit. The humans and the owl provided all the good songs.

While Isis was cool, Shazam was confusing… the kid travels with an old man, turns from vaguely ethnic hottie into an old caucasian guy. Didn't work.

God, I remember this crap fest. Loved it as a toddler and small child; it is actually one of the earliest TV shows I remember watching.

Chuck Woolery was the postman till he quit in a huff over playing sixth wheel

R72, meet R8. I take it the sixth wheel was not a wheel of fortune.

r23

Emmy Jo could turn me straight

I was really little when it was on but I remember hating it.

I remember it from circa 1974 - I was from England so it was a novelty for me. TV in the morning was a novelty for me. So I was glued every morning.

The New Zoo Revue was on at 7AM every morning, followed by re-runs of Gilligan's Island & I Dream Of Jeannie.

I remember the theme song for "New Zoo Revue" but I can honestly say I don't remember much else about it. I was a much bigger fan of "Magic Garden" that would be on when I came home from school and "Patchwork Family" was a New York area show that came on super early on Saturday mornings (I think about 7 am)

[quote]More outtakes.

Hil-arious.

Identified with Sammy Jo. Thought she was kidnapped by ugly people and chose to make the best of it.

My mother outlawed daytime musical tv because I’d sing all the good parts - female.

Poor dear had a huge problem with sissies. She’s dead now.

[quote]but I loved the animals a lot.

Dollface.

Emmy Jo loved anal!

The outtakes are a scream! That must have been a fun crew to work with.

Watched the show but honestly only remember the theme song. I'm going to sidetrack again and ask if any of you remember Gene London? I used to love his drawing along with stories. As much as I loved Gene as a Philly kid nothing ever beat Captain Noah for me.

Millennial here, and I always thought Henrietta R Hippo was some name Homer made up on "The Simpsons" in one episode. I had no clue it was an actual reference to something, lol.

R76 Ginger or Mary Ann?

For DLers, the question is who did you want to be, not who did you want to fuck.

I always thought her name was Ammy Jo because that's what it sounded like in the theme song.

Doug today. They're still married, apparently.

the guy from love connection and wheel of fortune was on this.

Some of these el cheapo Christian kiddie shows make Disney look like commie pinkos by comparison.

We used to call all the fat girls in school Henrietta Hippo.

Reading "Doug" 's bio: He wrote all 190 episodes and 600 songs! Wow!

I'm from Southern New Jersey, and Gene Loundon was soooo cool! I loved his General Store, and when Margret Hamilton stopped by. And when they adapted stories: My Fair Lady, and Dr Jeckle.... Years ago he had a store, I'd say it was around 18th between 6th and 7th. Full of costumes and beautiful clothes made for movies and theater. My brother and I met him a few times. Nice guy!

So, growing up, we also had Pix Anne and Sally Star. Sally always would be the "Guest" at the local 4-H Fair. This would have been around 1970.

We also had "Al Albert's Showcase", later, where 'Local Talent" would perform. Ugh!!!

R91, hello there neighbor! Thanks for adding to my memory list of Philly fare. I'm a little after Pix Anne and Sally Star but Al Alberts was still going strong when I was a kid. I can't imagine a show like that existing today nor can I imagine families sitting around to watch it like ours did. Here's another name for you (not a children's show but...): Larry Ferrari! A whole half-hour of Larry playing his organ with fade-in and fade-out shots. Oh god, I just noted how that sounded but it's true.

Doug Momary had a plump, juicy, supremely suckable cock and a gloriously furry ass.

Everything about Doug Momary screams BIG SWINGIN DICK.

I was obsessed with the circular elevator from the opening.

And that was before I saw The Towering Inferno and Lady in a Cage.

R5 is quite a diversion from the usual tone.

I read this was after they wrapped shooting the final episode.