This unusual hour-long series, an immediate flop, was a combination of skits starring Charles Nelson Reilly as a kid show host
named Uncle Croc, a comic foil who openly despised both his show and his co-host
Mr. Rabbit Ears and was in constant conflict with Jonathan Harris (Dr. Smith on 'Lost
in Space') who potrayed the show's director Mr. Bitterbottom.
It was played off as a parody of local kiddie show, which were rapidly being swept off the air in 1975, and Sesame Street.
The live action segments were punctuated with dreadful cartoon segments - 'Fraidy
Cat', 'Wacky and Packy,' and a cartoon version of M*A*S*H called
M*U*S*H (short for Mangy Unwanted Shabby Heroes) starring a pack of canines.
The show was demoted to half-hour status just a few weeks after going on the air, 'Wacky
and Packy' was the only cartoon segment returning.
It was pretty unusual for a Saturday morning show in the Seventies
to be yanked mid-season but Uncle Croc's Block was such a stinker for
ABC that it was removed from the schedule in February
of 1976 (along with The New Adventures of Gilligan cartoon) and replaced
with reruns of Groovie Goulies (1971) and then Super
Friends repeats.
Reportedly, ABC president Fred Silverman severed all ties with Filmation due to the poor ratings this show earned, dragging down numbers for the shows that followed.
One regular segment was "Star Time" when a 'celebrity' guest-star would appear, portrayed by Phyllis Diller, Huntz Hall, Carl Ballantine, and Alice Ghostley. The great Marvin Kaplan was seen in a parody of Shazam! called Captain Marbles.
Saturday Mornings 1974 Adaptations of former primetime shows are all the rage on Saturdays now.
Saturday Mornings 1975 Far Out Space Nuts, Shazam and Ark II are just a few of the action, sitcom and musical variety shows this season.
Saturday Mornings 1976 Krofft Super Show, and Ark II are just a 2 of the many action, sitcom and musical variety shows this season.
Saturday Mornings 1977 The most unsuccessful Saturday morning line up of the decade - flops everywhere as the networks lost track of what kids wanted to watch.
Uncle Croc's Block
