Uganda Television shows in the 80's

When I have time to twiddle my fingers my mind goes into flash back mode--to my childhood. These particular memories get tickled when I have to seriously screen and re screen what Mich watches. 

Gone are the days when the mere mention of cartoon sufficed--when you knew that it was something for the kids to watch and it was safe.

This is where my love for UTV (Uganda Television) back in the 80’s gets rekindled.
I would rush home from school to watch “Clue Club” “Blue Falcon and Dog Wonder” and “Scooby doo”, any body identify?

Ok, what about Electric Company and Sesame Street? Yeah, I knew that would be more familiar.
There was even a time I thought if I happened to land in Germany I would find my way “Pappenheimer” taught us basic German phrases.

Then when the tapes were over and UTV had overly repeated them and finally got ashamed they brought “Peter and His Toy Box”. Oh! that was fun, he showed us how things like rubber, glass, and wood were manufactured and used (imagine, I can not find these guys on the internet).

But nothing beat the Alvin show with the Chipmunks and Clyde Crush-cup, absolutely hilarious. It would never have worked without Alvin’s character. I learned songs like “oo ee oo ah ah … wala wala bing bang”.
“Felix the Cat”, was phasing out by the time I got to watching TV regularly but I remember the theme song “Felix the cat, the wonderful wonderful cat…”.

It is official now, I am from another generation but that’s just fine with me.

Did you get to watch “The Bear, The Tiger and The Others”?, the Flintstones? Pingu?
Clown Ferdinand?
Then there were some Asian cartoons that moved in the most interesting manner (like they were about to fall) and the stories where killer.

“101 tales” about a princess who slept forever and someone told her stories in the hope that she would awake or something.

I also watched “The Danny Thomas Show” you probably don’t remember that one.
Any one remember “Logan’s Run” or “Daktari”?
I presume Daktari is Doctor in Swahili; with ‘Clarence’ the cross eyed lion and a monkey called ‘Judy’.

After “Amawulire gagano nga basomerwa Golooba oba Fred Kasozi” (news in Luganda) we had “Kyeeswa” yeee!!!, just kidding I never sat down to watch the man, but I hear he was quite funny. (Never to be found on the internet though :-)).

“Telematch” was fun, we always took sides with the teams playing and woe unto you if your team lost.
“The Lucy Show” was really entertaining, I remember watching it with my parents (one of the few they sat through).
“Didi’s Comedy Show”, pretty much speaks for itself--non stop nonsense.

One thing that baffled my dad was how at specific times everybody showed up in the sitting room, when it was time for news we all remembered we had things to do. As soon as news was over, we were back faithfully.

He didn't know that it was illegal to miss “Different Strokes” - the world don't move to the beat of just one drum; “The Jeffersons”- moving on up to a deluxe apartment; “Sanford and Son” always having the big one (heart attack); “Good Times”- with clap "kid--dynomite"; “227”- there is no place like home, unless of course you were extremely sick ICU style. We had near fights when someone forgot to call someone else for the show, it was that serious.

So after several failed attempts to get “these young people” to listen to the news, daddy gave up.

Soon we were back for “Hawaii Five-O”, "Twilight Zone", "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Top of the Pops” and “Studio B”.

We kept our fingers crossed wishing that the TV anchor would not come and say something like “Good evening viewers, we are sorry …” That would just kill. Those were times one was tempted to call UTV station to give them a piece of ones mind. To think we didn't have other TV stations to turn to, absolute stress right there--trained our little hearts for life's disappointments.

If we were lucky and the tapes were not lost or misplaced, we got to stay up for features like “The Old Fox”, “Palmers Town”, “Another Life”, “Golden Years”, “Inspector Derrick”, “Riviera”.

When the worst came to the worst we had “James Last” music.

Those were the days.

A moment of silence please.

Thank you.

I wonder if kids of today would take a fancy to Clue Club and so on, if not, why? Is that a silly question? 

I guess I am officially old school because I can’t quite click “Power Rangers”, “Wow Wow Wubbzy”, “Dexter’s Lab” (I’m sorry but I don’t), “Power Puff Girls” oba what.