Call It Macaroni is an American children's television series that premiered on January 24, 1975. It was produced by Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, Inc.) with executive producers Gail Frank and Stephanie Meagher. Prior to its release, Donald McGannon, the chair of Group W, announced the show was a call to action for children to have a specific slot for their television. Intended to be a 12-part series of children's specials to be aired once a month, due to its popularity, another 12 specials were produced.
Its goal was to show 10–12-year-olds different things they could experience in the United States. It follows a different group of children each episode as they go to different places within the country, learning about a culture, city, environment, job, or hobby.
The first season was sold to 100, 103 or 104 stations in syndication. It was well received and won a Peabody Award in 1975.
Episodes
There are 24 half-hour episodes of Call it Macaroni. Air dates listed below may be later than the first airing. One episode, "Gym Dandys", is viewable on YouTube.
| Episode | Air date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|
| It's a Long Way Up | January 24, 1975 | Three teens climb Mount Hood in Oregon. |
| Give the Circus a Tumble | February 19, 1975 | Three 11-year-olds spend a week with Circus Vargas as it tours and performs in Colorado. |
| Fly like a Bird | March 19, 1975 | Two San Franciscans take glider and hang gliding lessons. |
| Once Upon a Horse | April 20, 1975 | Two 12-year-olds get horse riding lessons and participate in a riding competition. |
| Sail on the Winds of Time | April 24, 1975 | Teens learn aboard a replica of a 19th century schooner. |
| Texas Tenderfoot | May 30, 1975 | Three teens from the San Francisco Bay region become wranglers, helping to drive horses from Big Bend National Park in West Texas to a ranch 60 miles (97 km) away. |
| Exploring Yesterday | June 6, 1975 | Three children get to experience how the Native Americans of northern Minnesota lived. |
| A Seaful of Adventure | July 22, 1975 | Three youngsters from the Boston area take a cruise on the Florida shrimp boat Lady Gin. |
| The Boys and Girls of Summer | September 4, 1975 | A boy and a girl from Philadelphia go to the Philadelphia Phillies spring training camp in Florida. |
| Path of Papagos | November 16, 1975 | Three youngsters experience the Native American way of life. |
| Puppets and Other People | December 6, 1975 | Three children from Boston construct a puppet under the supervision of puppeteer Kermit Love. Kevin Clash, the best known puppeteer to perform as Sesame Street's Elmo, saw this episode as a teen and asked his mother to help him contact Love; she succeeded, and Love eventually became his mentor. |
| Where Do we Sign Up, When Do We Leave? | December 15, 1975 | Three kids from the San Francisco area spend a week on a racing schooner exploring the Channel Islands of California. |
| Nashville: Over the Rainbow | April 18, 1976 | In the first episode of the second year, a 13-year-old Dobro guitar player goes to Nashville and gets to perform with Bobby Bare. |
| Lights, Camels, Action | May 21, 1976 | Three New Yorkers join a production company working on the film Hawmps!, a comedy about the United States Camel Corps, on location in Arizona and become extras in one scene. |
| And That's Jazz | June 11, 1976 | Two budding musicians from New York go to New Orleans and join a jazz session. |
| Rogue Runners | July 23, 1976 | Some youngsters go on a five-day rafting trip on the Rogue River. |
| Some of My Best Friends are Dolphins | August 20, 1976 | Two children work with dolphins at the Miami Seaquarium. |
| It's Really Magic | September 21, 1976 | Two 11-year-olds from New York travel to Hollywood to work with the magician Shimada and perform at the Magic Castle. |
| How Do You Make a Moose Smile? | October 1, 1976 | Three New York 11- and 12-year-olds are taught by a professional how to photograph wildlife in the wilderness. |
| North of the Arctic | December 4, 1976 | Two youngsters from Portland, Oregon, become acquainted with an Eskimo family in Alaska. |
| Dance to the Music | December 5, 1976 | Two teens spend a week at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. |
| When Bold Knights Lanced | January 10, 1977 | A boy and a girl attend the annual Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park in Manhattan. |
| Gym Dandys | February 11, 1977 | Two kids from San Francisco receive lessons from gymnasts training for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. |
| Sing, West Virginia, Sing | March 15, 1977 | Two young Philadelphians learn about the music and culture of Appalachia. |
References
- Willey, George (January 18, 1975). "A Closer Look: A new try at children's programming". The Argus – via Newspapers.com.
- Beals, Kathie (January 27, 1975). "It's New and just for kids". The Daily Item – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "'Give the Circus a Tumble'". Daily Breeze. February 16, 1975 – via Newspapers.com.
- "McGannon ups the ante" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 13, 1975.
- ^ "Everyone liked our "Macaroni" so much, we're giving them a second helping" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 30, 1975.
- "Call it renewed" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 7, 1975.
- Brown, Les (1977). The New York Times Encyclopedia of Television (PDF). Times Books. p. 66. ISBN 9780812907216.
- Call it macaroni : a series of 12 half-hour television programs for young people, aired once a month, since January 1975 by 100 stations throughout the U.S. WorldCat. OCLC 318535716.
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- ^ "'Call It Macaroni': Puppets". Edwardsville Intelligencer – via Newspapers.com.
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- "Kevin Clash: The Man Behind Elmo (interview)". NPR. 15 December 2011.
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