Sunday, April 7, 2023

Flopcast 622: Superchick Deep Dive Part 2 - We Like to Be Around

Let's wrap up our review of The Krofft Supershow, a super-silly Saturday morning TV show from mad geniuses Sid and Marty Krofft. The second season brought us two weird new segments: Magic Mongo (in which a goofy genie crashes a bikini beach party) and Bigfoot and Wildboy (in which a Sasquatch and a kid with no pants battle aliens and Peter Brady). The show was still hosted by wacky rock band Kaptain Kool and the Kongs, and we also review their appearances on American Bandstand, Donny and Marie, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, and a Saturday Morning preview special with the Bay City Rollers. Of course our favorite Kaptain Kool and the Kongs member is Superchick, played by Debra Clinger, and we conclude our look at Debra's career beyond the Krofft world. Debra appeared on classic 70s/80s TV series like Barnaby Jones, The Hardy Boys, The Love Boat, and Hart to Hart. She starred in her own short-lived series The American Girls, alongside a future Three's Company star. She starred in the silly cult classic movie Midnight Madness, alongside a very young Michael J. Fox. And she even worked on a couple of our beloved Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. Also: 70s Hollywood power couple Lee and Farrah! Yogi Bear in space! Teen runaways and women in prison! The secret of the Dorse! A love connection on the set of Airwolf! Superchick meets the Snow Miser! Superchick meets Colonel Sanders! Krofft Supershow comic books! And the upcoming Super Megafest convention in Massachusetts, with some very special Krofft guests. So join us for more fun Krofft talk here on the Flopcast, where anything goes down, where most of what appears isn't true.

Show Notes

Both seasons of The Krofft Supershow are currently streaming on the Dove channel, along with most of the Krofft ouvre. You can subscribe directly or through Amazon Prime video. Also, on YouTube, you can stream the album by Kaptain Kool and the Kongs!

Don't forget about Debra Clinger's recent interview on the Pop Culture Retro podcast! And for more details on all of her TV and movie credits, there's IMDB.

All of the following YouTube clips, as well as those in last week's show notes, are collected in a handy Superchick Playlist!

The title character became human out of love for Debra's Elisa in Jack Frost, a lesser-known Rankin/Bass special that is nevertheless one of our favorites. Watch the bittersweet Christmas celebration in Just What I Always Wanted.

Rankin/Bass took a swing at "A Christmas Carol" with the traditionally animated The Stingiest Man in Town, in which Debra voices a member of the Cratchit family and sings Yes, There Is a Santa Claus.

Last, but not least, we would be remiss if we didn't share a few panels from the Krofft Supershow comic, which ran for six issues (some of which can be downloaded).