Duration: 0:59

Views: 2405

By: fuzzymemories

Description: Finally, in color! Here's the opening for the Stooges / Rascals Hour on WFLD Channel 32, from an original master tape (which looks like it was transferred from 16mm film) - and therefore with no voiceover. (Previous to this we only had an off-air black-and-white recording of the opening, from 1979)

At the beginning, we briefly see the production slate showing that this was number 8856 and was created by long-time WFLD director Joe Oher. (In fact the music was personally selected from his record collection by him!) All of the artwork and coloring was done by Cathy Mustari, the WFLD Art Director from 1974-1986.

This opening was recorded on 9-2-77 - exactly one month to the day after Channel 32's prior owner, Kaiser Broadcasting, was subsumed by original owner Field Communications. (although a brief handwritten card giving the date of 8-31-77 is also shown along with "Academy 2" - maybe that was a date of a work-in-progress version before the final one was recorded?)

The theme used was the instrumental break from "Knock, Knock, Who's There?" by Spike Jones and The Band That Plays For Fun - the particular version of which originated from his 1960 album 60 Years of "Music America Hates Best" (Liberty LRP-3154 / LST-7154); a shorter edit of this would also be used as the theme for The Three Stooges opening, a version of which created after the newer "Field era" 32 logo took effect can be seen here.

This aired on local Chicago TV for a few years starting in the 1977-78 season.