''The Charlie Horse Music Pizza'' is an American children's television show that was shown on PBS Kids in the United States from January 5, 1998, to January 17, 1999, with reruns continuing to air until September 5, 1999. Reruns again aired on PBJ until 2016. It is the short-lived spin-off of '' Lamb Chop's Play-Along ''and was hosted by

Shari Lewis Shari Lewis (born Phyllis Naomi Hurwitz; January 17, 1933 – August 2, 1998) was a Peabody-winning American ventriloquist, puppeteer, children's entertainer, television show host, dancer, singer, actress, author, and symphonic conductor. She wa ...

, whose strong belief in the benefits of music education for children led to the creation of the series. Just like ''Play-Along'', ''The Charlie Horse Music Pizza'' was shot at the CBC Studios in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, Canada. ''The Charlie Horse Music Pizza'' was Shari's final project.

Plot

The show takes place around a

pizzeria A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. As well as pizza, dishes at pizzerias can include kebab, salads and pasta. Many pizzerias offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or at the restaurant and then t ...

on the beach. Alongside the original cast of Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy, Charlie Horse, and Lewis, ''Charlie Horse Music Pizza'' introduced five new characters. Take Out, a big

anthropomorphized Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

dim-witted

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genu ...

who makes deliveries on roller skates (played by Chancz Perry); Fingers, a giant, sassy purple raccoon that lives in the dumpster behind the pizzeria (played by Gordon Robertson); Cookie, the soft-hearted opera loving cook (played by

Dom DeLuise Dominick DeLuise (August 1, 1933 – May 4, 2009) was an American actor, comedian, director, producer, chef, and author. Known primarily for his comedic performances, he rose to fame in the 1970s as a frequent guest on television variety sho ...

), Junior, a cool teenager who works at the pizzeria part time and plays the tuba for his high school marching band (played by Wezley Morris), and Holly, a young girl in a wheelchair (played by Chantal Strand).

Episodes

Season 1 (1998)

Season 2 (1999)

Cancellation

When ''Lamb Chop's Play-Along!'' ended, Shari and her husband Jeremy created ''The Charlie Horse Music Pizza'' to teach children about music after talking about what kids loved the most. Because a third of elementary schools were cutting music class from their curriculum at the time, Shari and Jeremy felt that they should introduce kids to music through the show. After Shari was diagnosed with inoperable

uterine cancer Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the ut ...

, the show was put on hold on June 18, 1998, while she underwent chemotherapy at

Cedars-Sinai Hospital Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

. She died from viral pneumonia on August 2, 1998. After her death, ''The Charlie Horse Music Pizza'' was cancelled. The last episode of ''The Charlie Horse Music Pizza'' aired on January 17, 1999, on what would have been her 66th birthday.

Reception

Critical reception

Awards

, - , 2000 , Shari Lewis for playing "Host" (posthumous award; accepted by Mallory Tarcher Lewis) , Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charlie Horse Music Pizza 1990s American children's television series 1998 American television series debuts 1999 American television series endings American preschool education television series American television shows featuring puppetry American television spin-offs 1990s preschool education television series English-language television shows PBS Kids shows PBS original programming Television series about horses Television series by Universal Television Television shows filmed in Vancouver