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Revision as of 03:03, 24 February 2012
1992 American TV series or program| Beakman's World | |
|---|---|
 The Beakman's World logo. | |
| Created by | Jok Church |
| Presented by | Paul Zaloom |
| Starring | Mark Ritts Alanna Ubach Eliza Schneider Senta Moses |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 91 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | ELP Communications Universal Belo Productions Columbia Pictures Television Columbia TriStar Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | TLC CBS |
| Release | September 18, 1992 – December 6, 1997 |
Beakman's World is an educational children's television show produced by ELP Communications, Columbia Pictures Television, Universal Belo Productions, and Columbia TriStar Television Distribution. The program is based on the Universal Press Syndicate syndicated comic strip You Can With Beakman and Jax created by Jok Church. The series premiered September 18, 1992 on The Learning Channel (TLC) cable network and in national syndication (225 stations, a freshman year record).
On September 18, 1993 it moved from national syndication to CBS Saturday morning children’s lineup. At the peak of its popularity, it was seen in nearly 90 countries around the world. The series was canceled in mid-1998. Reruns returned to national syndication in September 2006, after which it was transferred to local stations such as KICU. The show debuted a year prior to Bill Nye the Science Guy, which covered similar topics. The show's host, Paul Zaloom, still performs as Beakman in live appearances around the globe.
Premise
The program starred Paul Zaloom as Beakman, an eccentric scientist who performed comical experiments and demonstrations in response to viewer mail to illustrate various scientific concepts from density to electricity to flatulence. When his experiments were successful, he would often exclaim "Zaloom!", referring to his last name.
Over the years, Beakman was aided in his experiments by a female assistant just as in the comic strip on which it was based. The assistant's name changed throughout the show's run; for the episodes of season 1, it was Josie (played by Alanna Ubach); for the episodes of seasons 2 and 3, it was Liza (played by Eliza Schneider); and for the episodes of season 4, it was Phoebe (played by Senta Moses). Beakman was also assisted by his "lab rat" Lester. In the pilot episode, Lester was a puppet, but in every subsequent episode he was simply a clueless, crude man (Mark Ritts) in a tattered rat suit. In a running joke, it was never asserted that his character was actually supposed to be a rat; rather he was specifically identified by himself and others as a guy in a rat suit, or as a serious actor with a bad agent. Sometimes unwilling to help out, Lester was often persuaded by Beakman with the promise of food. Another occasional cast member is the unseen cameraman "Ray," who is played by prop-master Ron Jancula's hands. Ray assists Beakman by handing him various items, such as the "boguscope." It is suggested throughout the program that Ray has a romantic crush on the show's unnamed makeup lady. Actress Jean Stapleton also appeared on the show as Beakman's mother, "Beakmom". In some of the skits during the show the character Professor I.M. Boring (also played by Paul Zaloom, in a dual role) makes appearances and talks about various science topics. Zaloom also appeared as various 'guest scientists' and historic figures, such as Thomas A. Edison, Robert H. Goddard, and Philo T. Farnsworth. When Senta Moses was added to the show's cast, the producers began to use a majority of the sound effects from the NBC game show Scrabble.
One segment of the show was the famed "Beakman Challenge". During this segment, Beakman would challenge Lester to do a stunt that illustrated a basic scientific feat. During the first season, virtually every challenge related to either Air Pressure or Bernoulli's Principle. The show addressed this during the second season, by having Lester exclaim to Beakman (as he was explaining the science behind a trick) "AIR PRESSURE! IT'S ALWAYS AIR PRESSURE!"
At the beginning and end of the show, as well as before or after commercial breaks, the show featured short scenes portraying puppet penguins, Don (voiced by Bert Berdis) and Herb (Alan Barzman), at the South Pole watching Beakman’s World on television. The penguins were named after Don Herbert, who starred as Mr. Wizard in Mr. Wizard's World. Mark Ritts (Lester) was also one of the puppeteers operating the penguins.
Beakman's World currently plays in weekend syndication in the United States and in several other countries. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Television in the U.S. and Sony Pictures Television International in other countries. A Spanish-dubbed version used to air on Univision (titled El Mundo de Beakman) as part of its Planeta U programming block.
As of 10/12/2011, all 4 seasons are available, as streaming content only, on Netflix with the exception of the following five episodes: 9(1-9), 24(1-24), 31(2-5), 51(2-25), & 66(4-1) as noted in the chart below.
List of episodes
Season 1
| Episode # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (1-01) | "Rain, Beakmania & Volcanoes" | September 18, 1992 (1992-09-18) |
| 2 (1-02) | "Gravity, Beakmania & Inertia" | September 26, 1992 (1992-09-26) |
| 3 (1-03) | "Noises at Night, Beakmania & The Nose" | October 3, 1992 (1992-10-03) |
| 4 (1-04) | "Blood, Beakmania & Dreams" | October 10, 1992 (1992-10-10) |
| 5 (1-05) | "Leaves, Beakmania & Paper" | October 17, 1992 (1992-10-17) |
| 6 (1-06) | "Soap, Beakmania & Auto Engines" | October 24, 1992 (1992-10-24) |
| 7 (1-07) | "Electricity, Beakmania & Light Bulbs" | October 31, 1992 (1992-10-31) |
| 8 (1-08) | "Sound, Beakmania & Explosions" | November 7, 1992 (1992-11-07) |
| 9 (1-09) | "Refraction, Beakmania & Attraction" | November 14, 1992 (1992-11-14) |
| 10 (1-10) | "Levers, Beakmania & Television" | November 21, 1992 (1992-11-21) |
| 11 (1-11) | "Boats, Beakmania & Airplanes" | November 28, 1992 (1992-11-28) |
| 12 (1-12) | "Bubbles, Beakmania & Feet" | January 23, 1993 (1993-01-23) |
| 13 (1-13) | "Microscopes, Beakmania & Healing" | January 30, 1993 (1993-01-30) |
| 14 (1-14) | "Scientific Method, Beakmania & Rainbows" | February 6, 1993 (1993-02-06) |
| 15 (1-15) | "Vaccinations, Beakmania & Friction" | February 13, 1993 (1993-02-13) |
| 16 (1-16) | "Thermodynamics, Beakmania & Pimples" | February 20, 1993 (1993-02-20) |
| 17 (1-17) | "Fossils, Beakmania & the Human Voice" | February 27, 1993 (1993-02-27) |
| 18 (1-18) | "Lungs, Beakmania & Telephones" | March 6, 1993 (1993-03-06) |
| 19 (1-19) | "Tape Recordings, Beakmania & Force Vs. Pressure" | February 3, 1993 (1993-02-03) (TLC) April 3, 1993 (1993-04-03) (syndication) |
| 20 (1-20) | "Microwaves, Beakmania & Spiders" | April 10, 1993 (1993-04-10) |
| 21 (1-21) | "Earwax, Beakmania & Rocket Engines" | February 17, 1993 (1993-02-17) (TLC) April 17, 1993 (1993-04-17) (syndication) |
| 22 (1-22) | "Ozone, Beakmania & Acid" | February 24, 1993 (1993-02-24) (TLC) April 24, 1993 (1993-04-24) (syndication) |
| 23 (1-23) | "Plumbing, Beakmania & Roller Coasters" | March 3, 1993 (1993-03-03) (TLC) May 1, 1993 (1993-05-01) (syndication) |
| 24 (1-24) | "Bees, Beakmania & Earthquakes" | May 8, 1993 (1993-05-08) |
| 25 (1-25) | "Reflection, Beakmania & Madame Curie" | May 15, 1993 (1993-05-15) |
| 26 (1-26) | "Wheels, Beakmania & Finding Answers" | May 22, 1993 (1993-05-22) |
Season 2
| Episode # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 27 (2-1) | "Submarines, Beakmania & Digestion" | September 18, 1993 (1993-09-18) |
| 28 (2-2) | "Heart, Beakmania & Helicopters" | September 25, 1993 |
| 29 (2-3) | "Batteries, Beakmania & Balloons" | October 2, 1993 |
| 30 (2-4) | "Tunnels, Beakmania & Trains" | October 16, 1993 |
| 32 (2-6) | "Sky, Beakmania & Henry Ford" | October 23, 1993 |
| 31 (2-5) | "Bats, Beakmania & Energy" | October 30, 1993 |
| 33 (2-7) | "Sound, Beakmania & Illusions" | November 6, 1993 |
| 34 (2-8) | "Lightning, Beakmania & Bones" | November 13, 1993 |
| 35 (2-9) | "Moon, Beakmania & Elevators" | November 20, 1993 |
| 37 (2-11) | "Check-Up Time, Beakmania & Oil" | December 25, 1993 |
| 38 (2-12) | "Ben Franklin, Beakmania & Chemical Reactions" | February 5, 1994 |
| 39 (2-13) | "Ants, Beakmania & Collisions" | February 26, 1994 |
| 48 (2-22) | "Mold, Beakmania & Caves" | April 16, 1994 |
| 52 (2-26) | "Tornadoes, Beakmania & Firefighting" | September 17, 1994 |
| 49 (2-23) | "Momentum, Beakmania & Cows" | September 24, 1994 |
| 43 (2-17) | "Frogs and Toads, Beakmania & Polymers" | October 1, 1994 |
| 50 (2-24) | "Allergies, Beakmania & Codes" | October 8, 1994 |
| 40 (2-14) | "Pain, Beakmania & Comets" | October 15, 1994 |
| 51 (2-25) | "Snakes, Beakmania & Seasons" | October 22, 1994 |
| 41 (2-15) | "Hydraulics, Beakmania & Dinosaurs" | October 29, 1994 |
| 47 (2-21) | "Sharks, Beakmania & Einstein" | November 5, 1994 |
| 44 (2-18) | "Money, Beakmania & Water Power" | November 12, 1994 |
| 46 (2-20) | "Skyscrapers, Beakmania & Indicators" | November 19, 1994 |
| 45 (2-19) | "Garbage, Beakmania & Meteorology" | November 26, 1994 |
| 42 (2-16) | "Electronic Motors, Beakmania & Time" | December 3, 1994 |
| 36 (2-10) | "Video Games, Beakmania & Teeth" | March 25, 1995 |
Season 3
| Episode # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 62 (3-10) | "Geysers and Hot Springs, Beakmania & Kidneys" | September 16, 1995 |
| 56 (3-04) | "Gyroscopes, Beakmania & the Heart" | September 23, 1995 |
| 63 (3-11) | "Sleep, Beakmania & Amplification" | September 30, 1995 |
| 53 (3-01) | "Seeds, Beakmania & Bridges" | October 7, 1995 |
| 59 (3-07) | "Vacuums, Beakmania & Weaving" | October 14, 1995 |
| 64 (3-12) | "Crustaceans, Beakmania & Bernoulli" | October 21, 1995 |
| 55 (3-03) | "Carbon, Beakmania & Inventions" | October 28, 1995 |
| 54 (3-02) | "Balance, Beakmania & Camouflage" | November 4, 1995 |
| 65 (3-13) | "Islands, Beakmania & Energy" | November 11, 1995 |
| 58 (3-06) | "The Sun, Beakmania & Metamorphosis" | November 18, 1995 |
| 61 (3-09) | "Alligators and Crocodiles, Beakmania & Robots" | November 25, 1995 |
| 57 (3-05) | "Steel, Beakmania & Developing Film" | December 2, 1995 |
| 60 (3-08) | "Snow, Beakmania & Natural Selection" | December 9, 1995 |
Season 4
| Episode # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 66 (4-01) | "Sweat, Beakmania & Weighing a Car" | September 14, 1996 (1996-09-14) |
| 67 (4-02) | "Migration, Beakmania & Living Space" | September 21, 1996 |
| 75 (4-10) | "Elephants, Beakmania & X-Rays" | September 28, 1996 |
| 68 (4-03) | "Bunsen, Beakmania & Sewage" | October 5, 1996 |
| 70 (4-05) | "The Mouth, Beakmania & Scale" | October 19, 1996 |
| 78 (4-13) | "Electromagnets, Beakmania & Senses" | November 9, 1996 |
| 77 (4-12) | "Bread, Beakmania & Measurement" | November 16, 1996 |
| 76 (4-11) | "Skin, Beakmania & Oxygen" | November 30, 1996 |
| 72 (4-07) | "Rubber, Beakmania & Hair" | December 14, 1996 |
| 80 (4-15) | "Magic, Beakmania & Cosmetic Chemistry" | December 28, 1996 |
| 91 (4-26) | "Fingerprints, Beakmania & Flatulence" | January 4, 1997 |
| 86 (4-21) | "Dogs, Beakmania & Bio-Medical Engineering" | January 11, 1997 |
| 74 (4-09) | "Boomerangs, Beakmania & Circus Science" | January 18, 1997 |
| 79 (4-14) | "Chimps, Beakmania & Eye Exams" | September 13, 1997 |
| 71 (4-06) | "Catalysts, Beakmania & Aerosal Cans" | September 20, 1997 |
| 81 (4-16) | "Pigs, Beakmania & Sound Frequency" | September 27, 1997 |
| 85 (4-20) | "Polar Exploration, Beakmania & Circular Motion" | October 4, 1997 |
| 82 (4-17) | "Sunken Treasure, Beakmania & Archimedian Screw" | October 11, 1997 |
| 83 (4-18) | "Whales, Beakmania & Optical Illusions II" | October 18, 1997 |
| 84 (4-19) | "Sound Barrier, Beakmania & Healthy Living" | October 25, 1997 |
| 90 (4-25) | "Horses, Beakmania & Refrigerators" | November 1, 1997 |
| 69 (4-04) | "Cats, Beakmania & Dynamite" | November 8, 1997 |
| 87 (4-22) | "Human Growth, Beakmania & Solutions and Suspensions" | November 15, 1997 |
| 88 (4-23) | "Action-Reaction, Beakmania & Talking Birds" | November 22, 1997 |
| 73 (4-08) | "Camels, Beakmania & Density" | November 29, 1997 |
| 89 (4-24) | "Protozoology, Beakmania & Movie Stunts" | December 6, 1997 |
Theme song
The Beakman's World theme song was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo fame. The Beakman's World theme is an amalgam of Zydeco and Synthpop. An accordion is used for its main riff. The song also prominently features a wide array of wacky sound effects.
DVD release
On September 7, 2004 a DVD entitled The Best of Beakman's World was released. This DVD is a direct transfer of the VHS of the same name, and features only experiments and segments taken from The Beakman Challenge. There have yet to be any full-episode releases on VHS or DVD, although Netflix added seasons one through four to their online streaming video service with the exception of the following five episodes: 9(1-9), 24(1-24), 31(2-5), 51(2-25), & 66(4-1) as noted in the chart above.
Exhibit
In 1998, the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal opened an interactive exhibit called Beakman's World On Tour, based on the television show. The 4,000-square-foot (370 m) exhibit toured dozens of cities in the United States.
Awards
Beakman’s World was nominated for and won numerous awards:
- Excellence in Media's Silver Angel Award (1993)
- International Monitor Award for Outstanding Audio Post Production (1993)
- Television Critics Association nomination for Outstanding Children's Program (1993)
- Ollie Award - American Center for Children's Television (1993)
- Parent's Choice Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Children's Programming (1993)
- Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects (1993–1994)
- CableACE Award for Best Children's Programming 7+ older (1994)
- International Monitor Awards for Best Achievement in Children's Programming and Best Audio Post *Production in Children's Programming (1994)
- Nominated for Seven Daytime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Children's Series (1995)
- Daytime Emmy Awards (2) for Outstanding Achievement in Live and Tape Sound and Sound Effects (1994–1995).
See also
- Mr. Wizard
- Columbia Pictures Television Distribution
References
- ^ "Beakman's World makes science fun for kids of all ages". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
- ^ "Beakman's World Episodes". tv.com. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
- Mendoza, N.F. (January 31, 1993). "What Becomes This Legend Most? Hard Work and Strong Determination". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- Mendoza, N.F. (February 14, 1993). "Disney's celebrity concert hopes to raise spirits and money for kids facing AIDS". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- Mendoza, N.F. (February 28, 1993). "HBO drives home the story of a teen and a mistake he'll never forget". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- "Beakman opens world of science to kids". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
- Beakman's World - Best of Beakman's World, The DVD Information | TVShowsOnDVD.com
- http://www.netflix.com/Search?v1=beakman Netflix, Beakman's world - Show listings | www.netflix.com
- Yeager, Connie (1998-03-02). "Beakman's World: Museum hosts hands-on show". The Cincinnati Post. E. W. Scripps Company. Archived from the original on 2004-09-06.
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External links
- Beakman's World at IMDb
- Template:Tv.com
- Jok Church Interview
- Official Beakman's World Site from Sony Pictures Television
- Where to Watch Beakman's World
- Beakmaniac's Beakman's World Fansite (Archive)
- 1990s American television series
- 1992 American television series debuts
- 1997 American television series endings
- American children's television series
- CBS network shows
- English-language television series
- First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
- Science education television series
- Television programs based on comic strips
- Television programs featuring puppetry
- Television series by Sony Pictures Television
- TLC (TV channel) programs
- American educational television series
- Television series revived after cancellation