Watch Mr. Wizard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Watch Mr. Wizard was a United States television program for children in the 1950s, a general science experiments show, that explained the science behind ordinary things. It was briefly revived in 1971, and then later in the 1980s as a program on the Nickelodeon children's television network as Mr. Wizard's World.
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[edit] 1951-1965: Original series
Watch Mr. Wizard first aired on NBC on March 3, 1951 with Don Herbert as Mister Wizard. In the weekly 30 minute show Don Herbert played a science hobbyist, and every Saturday morning a neighbor boy (Jimmy) or girl would come to visit. Mister Wizard always had some kind of neat laboratory experiment going that was fun to watch and taught something about science. The experiments, many of which seemed impossible at first glance, were usually simple enough to be re-created by viewers.
The show was very successful; by 1954 it was broadcast by 91 stations. Mr. Wizard Science Clubs were started throughout North America, numbering 50,000 by 1965. The show moved to New York on September 5, 1955, and had produced 547 live broadcasts by the time the show was cancelled in 1965. The show was cited by the National Science Foundation and American Chemical Society for increasing interest in science, and Herbert won a Peabody Award.
[edit] 1971: Canadian-produced revival
The show was briefly revived by NBC from September 11, 1971 through September 2, 1972 as Mr. Wizard, based on 26 shows produced in color in Ottawa, Canada at the CJOH-TV studios. The series was legally considered Canadian content despite the American origins of the series and its host. CBC Television carried these episodes within Canada.
[edit] 1983-1990: Mr. Wizard's World
Mr. Wizard's World, a faster-paced version of the show developed by Don Herbert, was shown three times a week on the cable channel Nickelodeon. Once again, the revival was produced in Canada (this time in Calgary). The show produced 78 episodes from 1983 until 1990, and continued to run thereafter as reruns. It also had an Ask Mr. Wizard segment where Mr. Wizard answered questions sent in by viewers. Episodes of Mr. Wizard's World were re-aired in 2005 on the digital cable channel The Science Channel.
[edit] Parodies
Watch Mr. Wizard has been parodied many times, including:
- "Ask Dr. Stupid" in some episodes of Ren and Stimpy.
- "Ask Mr. Lizard" in some episodes of Dinosaurs, performing dangerous experiments that would invariably kill his young assistant, Timmy. His catchphrase was a jovial, "We're going to need another Timmy!"
- Police scientist Ted Olson in Police Squad!, who was constantly being interrupted in the middle of some dubious or dangerous experiment involving a child.
- "Ask Dr. Science!" from Duck's Breath Mystery Theater.
- "Mr. Egghead" a.k.a Joey Gladestone from Full House
[edit] See also
[edit] References
Watch Mr. Wizard: Still Crazy (for Science) After All These Years. Interview With Don Herbert. Education Digest. Ann Arbor: October 1994. Vol 60. Iss. 2: pp.68-71.
[edit] External links
- "When Science Was Simple: Watching Mr. Wizard" New York Times 27 June 2004 television section;
- Mr. Wizard Studios - Official Mr. Wizard webpage.
- Watch Mr. Wizard at the Internet Movie Database
- Watch Mr. Wizard at the Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC)
- Mr. Wizard's World at Nickelodeon
- Ask Dr. Science! from Duck's Breath Mystery Theater
- Queen's University Directory of CBC Television Series: Mr. Wizard (1971 revival)
