''New Zoo Revue'' is an American half-hour children's television show that ran in

first-run syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States where ...

from 1972 to 1977.

Concept

The 196-episode musical comedy-format show conveyed the concepts of cooperation and guidance for living in contemporary society. Each episode dealt with a topic such as moving away,

courtesy Courtesy (from the word ''courteis'', from the 12th century) is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the nobility was compiled in courtesy books. History The apex of European courtly ...

, bragging, or

patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when face ...

. Though hosted by humans Doug and Emmy Jo (married in real-life Doug Momary and Emily Peden), the show featured costumed full-bodied puppet characters, primarily Freddie the

Frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

, Henrietta Hippo, and Charlie the Owl. The show received awards and recommendations from the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stud ...

and the National School Board Association. ''New Zoo Revue'' was acquired from O Atlas Entertainment and the show's original co-creator, Barbara Atlas; the property is now owned by Frank A. O'Donnell, who is based in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

. The library continues to be licensed and broadcast by various networks across the US. Episodes can be viewed, and merchandise and DVDs of the original episodes can be purchased on the Internet.

Characters

* Doug (played by

Doug Momary Douglas R. Momary (born June 1, 1947) is an American writer, actor, producer, and composer for television and film. Most notably, he was the co-writer and co-creator of the 1970s children's TV show '' New Zoo Revue'', in which he also starred, ...

) - a human who is friends with Freddie, Charlie, and Henrietta. * Emmy Jo (played by

Emily Peden Emily may refer to: * Emily (given name), including a list of people with the name Music * "Emily" (1964 song), title song by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer to the film ''The Americanization of Emily'' * "Emily" (Dave Koz song), a 1990 song ...

) - Doug's helper. * Freddie the Frog (performed by Yanco Inone, voiced by

Joni Robbins Joni Robbins (born Joan Eva Rothman, died September 21, 2020) was an American veteran voice actress. Biography In the 1950s, her family moved to Los Angeles so that her father Michael "Max" Rothman could work as a masseur at the Beverly Hills H ...

) - a fun-loving

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

who is a bit naïve. While the same size as the other adult-sized characters, Freddie is characterized (at least in some episodes) as a school-aged child. * Charlie the Owl (performed by

Sharon Baird Sharon Baird is an American actress, voice actress, singer, dancer and puppeteer who is best known for having been a Mouseketeer. Early life Baird was born August 16, 1943 Seattle, Washington to Eldon Baird, an aerospace worker, and Nikki Mar ...

, voiced by Bob Holt and later Bill Callaway) - a serious, know-it-all owl who lives in a tall tree equipped with an elevator. Working as a

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophica ...

and an

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an id ...

, Charlie is known to give out "One-Bell Prizes" on occasion (subtly making a pun on the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...

). * Henrietta Hippo (performed by

Larri Thomas Larri Thomas (January 23, 1932 – October 20, 2013) was an American actress and dancer. She began her career by participating in a string of television commercials and eventually signed a contract with NBC. The network put on her shows includin ...

, voiced by

Hazel Shermet Hazel Shermet (August 1, 1920 – October 27, 2016) was an American actress, comedian, and singer whose decades-long career spanned radio, television, film and theater, including Broadway. In addition to her live action-roles, Shermet also enjoy ...

) - a tutu-wearing, genteel

hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two exta ...

with a Southern Belle personality who is a bit shy. * Mr. Dingle (played by

Chuck Woolery Charles Herbert Woolery (born March 16, 1941) is an American game show host, talk show host, and musician. He has had long-running tenures hosting several game shows. Woolery was the original host of '' Wheel of Fortune'' (1975–1981), the or ...

) - a friendly

elderly Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

postman who is also a shopkeeper and a Jack-of-All-Trades. * Mrs. Goodbody (played by Fran Ryan) - a nosy neighbor who occasionally visits. She served as an

advice column An advice column is a column in a question and answer format. Typically, a (usually anonymous) reader writes to the media outlet with a problem in the form of a question, and the media outlet provides an answer or response. The responses are wr ...

ist for ''The All-New Zoo Gazette''.

Guest stars

* Composer

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

made a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

. * Actor Jim Backus of ''

Mr. Magoo Mr. Magoo (known by his full name: J. Quincy Magoo) is a fictional cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Mr. Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical ...

'' and '' Gilligan's Island'' fame makes a cameo. * Jesse White, best known as the original Maytag repairman in TV commercials, guest starred on a few episodes. *

June Lockhart June Lockhart (born June 25, 1925) is an American actress, beginning a film career in 1930s & 1940s in such films at ''A Christmas Carol'' and '' Meet Me in St. Louis''. She primarily acted in 1950s and 1960s television, and with performances on ...

, best known for her roles on ''

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called '' Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another ...

'', ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel '' The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series ...

'' and ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and B ...

'', guest starred in the episode "Shyness" as Penelope Potter a very shy woman. *

Richard Dawson Richard Dawson (born Colin Lionel Emm; 20 November 1932 – 2 June 2012) was a British-born American actor, comedian, game-show host and panelist in the United States. Dawson was well known for playing Corporal Peter Newkirk in ''Hogan's Hero ...

, famous for acting in the series ''

Hogan's Heroes ''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom set in a Nazi German prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during World War II. It ran for 168 episodes (six seasons) from September 17, 1965, to April 4, 1971, on the CBS network, the longest broadcast ...

'' and on the game shows ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelis ...

'' and ''

Family Feud ''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes. The show has had three separate runs, the ...

'', guest starred in the "Time Travel" episode as a knight from medieval England. *

Jo Anne Worley Jo Anne Worley (born September 6, 1937) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. Worley is widely known for her work on the comedy-variety sho ...

appeared as talk show host Vanessa Gramcracker.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0296385, title=New Zoo Revue First-run syndicated television programs in the United States 1970s American children's comedy television series 1970s American musical comedy television series 1972 American television series debuts 1977 American television series endings English-language television shows American children's musical television series American television shows featuring puppetry Television series about birds Television series about frogs

Concept

Characters

Guest stars

See also

References

External links