Jack's Big Music Show
| Jack's Big Music Show | |
|---|---|
| File:JacksBigMusicShowLogo.gif | |
| Genre | Children's music |
| Created by | David Rudman, Todd Hannert and Adam Rudman |
| Starring | David Rudman Alice Dinnean John Kennedy |
| Narrated by | Cathy Richardson (as Jack's mother) |
| Opening theme | Jack's Big Music Show Theme Song |
| Ending theme | Various closing themes (similar to Dora the Explorer) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Music Clubhouse, Chicago, Illinois |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | Spiffy Pictures Noggin Originals |
| Original release | |
| Network | Noggin Nick Jr. Discovery Kids |
| Release | September 12, 2005 – April 1, 2008 |
Jack's Big Music Show is an American musical children's television series originally airing on Noggin and on the Nick Jr. television network. The show was produced by Spiffy Pictures, and was nominated for a 2008 Emmy award for Outstanding Pre-school Television Series.
The popularity of the show made the idea of appearing on it attractive to musicians. An executive from Nick Jr. in 2006 said that they were "clamoring to get onto Jack's Big Music Show."[1]
In May 2007, production was cancelled and it was announced that no new episodes would be produced. The last episode aired on April 1, 2008. However, it reran on Nick Jr. until 2013.
Production
Production on the series began in 1995 when Spiffy pictures partnered with Nick Jr., who was scheduled to run the show from 1997–2001. However, after several missed release dates: December 5, 1997, July 26, 1999, February 22, 2000, June 8, 2002, November 7, 2004 and March 12, 2005, "Jack's Big Music Show" did not premiere until September 12, 2005 on Noggin.
The series, originally named Jack's Band, also underwent several name changes before its debut. It was first renamed in 1998 to Jack's Music Band, then to Jack's Big Music Show in 2001. Prior to Mary and Mel joining the cast, also in 2001, the show was primarily about Jack playing in his own band.
Plot
The series focuses on music-loving Jack, his best friend Mary, and his drum-playing dog Mel, all of whom are puppets. The show takes place in Jack's backyard clubhouse, and centers on the characters' passion for music. The characters play music in every episode, and are often accompanied by other puppets or human musicians. Each episode starts with Jack's mom calling him that he has to leave for an activity soon. Also, it usually features two music videos by children's musical artists, and a performance by The Schwartzman Quartet about the episode's topic. The episode sometimes features a guest music star. At the end of each episode, a big "finale" song is played. Sometimes Jack leaves after his mom calls him, while other times they continue to play music in the clubhouse. Mel can be seen popping up during the credits.
Characters
Main characters
- Jack (performed by David Rudman) - A blue-colored musician and star of the show.
- Mary (performed by Alice Dinnean) - Jack's best friend, a purple-haired accordion player.
- Mel (performed by John Kennedy) - Jack's drum-playing dog.
- The Schwartzman Quartet (performed by various puppeteers) - A group of four similar-looking singers.
Additional characters
- Earl the Squirrel (appears in "Mel's Super Swell Dance Party" "Silly Show" and "Snow Day")
- The Little Bad Wolf (appears in the episode of the same name and "Jack's Big Orchestra")
- The Bongo Birds (appear in the episode of the same name and "Jack's Big Orchestra")
- The Bugs (appear in "Bug Love" and "Jack's Big Orchestra")
- Henry the Monster (appears in the "Music Monster" and "Jack's Big Orchestra")
- Animal Music Camp (mentioned in "Scat Cat")
- The Squirrels (appear in "Leonard the Country Squirrel," "Jack's Big Orchestra" and Jack's Super Swell Sing-Along")
- M.C. Turtle (appears in "Jack's Super Swell Sing-Along")
- Sheldon the Squirrel (appears in "The Grumpy Squirrel" and "Jack's Big Orchestra")
- Gertrude the Groundhog (appears in "Groundhog Day")
- Scat Cat (appears in the episode of the same name)
- Phil the Coo-Coo Bird (appears in the episode of the same name)
- Leonard the Country Squirrel (appears in the episode of the same name)
- Spunky the Alien (appears in the episode of the same name)
Guest musicians
- Yolanda Adams
- Angelique Kidjo
- Laurie Berkner
- Andrew Bird
- Buddy Guy
- Steve Burns - (He was formerly on Blue's Clues) & Steven Drozd (of the Flaming Lips).
- Comic Book Heroes
- Guy Davis
- The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
- Rebecca Frezza
- Jerry Lawson
- Leon Thomas III
- The Mighty Weaklings
- Milkshake
- Elizabeth Mitchell & Lisa Loeb (They were formerly on Liz and Lisa)
- Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals
- Jamia Simone Nash
- Nuttin But Stringz
- Cathy Richardson
- Audra Rox
- Sweet Honey in the Rock
- David Pleasant
- The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
- The Quiet Two
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 13 | September 12, 2005 | February 13, 2006 | |
| 2 | 13 | January 6, 2007 | April 1, 2008 | |
Episodes
Season 1 (2005–06)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Guests | Songs performed | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Little Bad Wolf" | Laurie Berkner The Dirty Sock Funtime Band | "Mary Had an Accordion" (sung to the tune Mary Had a Little Lamb), "The Little Bad Wolf Had a Tuba" (also sung to the tune Mary Had a Little Lamb), "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "My Energy", "Music Everywhere" | September 12, 2005 |
| 2 | 2 | "How Mel Got His Groove Back" | Cathy Richardson Laurie Berkner Sweet Honey in the Rock | "Listen to the Animals", "Every Animal Has Its Groove", "Mel the Meowing Dog" (sung to the tunes Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Alphabet song, and Baa, Baa, Black Sheep), "Mister", "I Like It That Way" | September 14, 2005 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Music Genie" | Anne Harris Hot Peas 'N Butter Laurie Berkner | "Mel's Musical Trunk" (sung to the tune 99 Bottles of Beer), "Prudence", "Yodel", "Number 1", "Under a Shady Tree" | September 15, 2005 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Bongo Bird" | Laurie Berkner Jamia | "Yeah Yeah Yeah" "The Song of the Bongo Bird", "Bongo Bird Beat", "Bongo Bird Lullaby" (sung to the tune Brahms' Lullaby), "I Know a Chicken", "Bongo Bird" (sung to the tune Bingo) | September 19, 2005 |
| 5 | 5 | "Marching Band" | Cathy Richardson Laurie Berkner Milkshake | "Marching Song", "Rain Rain Go Away", "Rhythms Around You", "Boots", "Bottle of Sunshine" | September 26, 2005 |
| 6 | 6 | "Bug Love" | Rebecca Frezza Laurie Berkner | "Loud Sound/Soft Sound", "A Pretty Good Bug", "Bugs Are Really Swell" (sung to the tune The Farmer in the Dell), "B3", "I'm Me and You're You" | October 3, 2005 |
| 7 | 7 | "Mel's Super Swell Dance Party" | Tracey Ellert Cathy Richardson Yolanda Adams The Dirty Sock Funtime Band Laurie Berkner | "Dance How You Like", "The Mel Polka", "Rock and Roll Freeze Dance", "The Me Dance", "Dino-Sauring", "I Really Love to Dance" | October 10, 2005 |
| 8 | 8 | "Space Opera" | Jerry Lawson and the Talk of the Town Laurie Berkner | "Mary's Opera" (3 songs; one of the songs is sung to the tune of Toreador March from Carmen), "Space Explorer", "Space Opera", "What Are They Gonna Do About That?", "I'm Glad", "I'm Not Perfect" | October 10, 2005 |
| 9 | 9 | "Grow Daddio" | Cathy Richardson Rebecca Frezza Laurie Berkner | "Where Is Mary?" (sung to the tune Ten Little Indians), "What Will Arthur Grow Up to Be?", "Playin' Jazz", "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary", "H2O + O2 + Sun", "Running Down the Hill" | October 17, 2005 |
| 10 | 10 | "The Grumpy Squirrel" | Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals Laurie Berkner | "It's Fun to Invent Your Own Instrument", "Lullaby" (instrumental), "Music Is the Best", "Grumpy" "I'm Gonna Catch You", "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" | October 24, 2005 |
| 11 | 11 | "The Music Monster" | Laurie Berkner Milkshake | "This Song", "If You're Scary and You Know It" (sung to the tune If You're Happy And You Know It), "Monster Boogie", "Scared" | October 31, 2005 |
| 12 | 12 | "King of Swing" | Buddy Guy Laurie Berkner Guy Davis | "The Welcome Song" (sung to the tune Let's All Go to the Lobby from Regal Entertainment Group), "List", "Shama Lama", "Clean It Up", "New Shoes" | February 6, 2006 |
| 13 | 13 | "Silly Show" | Laurie Berkner Hot Peas 'N Butter | "Silly Song" (sung to the tunes from How Mel Got His Groove Back), "Bologna Sandwich", "Silly Things (sung to the tune Turkey in the Straw)", "Googleheads", "Deep Down" | February 13, 2006 |
Season 2 (2007–08)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Guests | Songs performed | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Snow Day" | Anne Harris Laurie Berkner The Quiet Two | "Beach Party", "Wiki Wiki Hele Hele", "Sing a Winter Song", "Mahalo", "Polar Bear" | January 6, 2007 |
| 15 | 2 | "Leonard the Country Squirrel" | Laurie Berkner The Dirty Sock Funtime Band | "Found Sounds", "We're a Jugband", "Jugband Jamboree", "I Am a Sad Squirrel", "I Am a Happy Squirrel", "Farm Song", "No Good Reason Party" | January 7, 2007 |
| 16 | 3 | "Spunky the Alien" | Laurie Berkner The Mighty Weaklings | "Yo Yo Yo", "Gotta Power Up", "Spunky's Lament", "Fleeber", "Rocketship", "Rocketship Run" | January 13, 2007 |
| 17 | 4 | "Jack Bunny" | Anne Harris Laurie Berkner Angélique Kidjo | "Mel the Musical Magical Magician", "The Hop", "Bugle Bunnies", "Magic Box", "Wombo Lombo" | January 14, 2007 |
| 18 | 5 | "Phil the Coo-Coo Bird" | Laurie Berkner Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals | "The Twisty Twist", "The Dance", "Phil, Phil, Keep On Trying", "Move Your Feet", "Who's That?" | January 20, 2007 |
| 19 | 6 | "Jack's Big Oops!" | Andrew Bird J. Walter Hawkes Nuttin' But Stringz | "Strings", "Dr. Strings", "Just Tell the Truth", "What Have I Got to Lose?", "Thunder" | January 21, 2007 |
| 20 | 7 | "Jack's Big Orchestra" | Laurie Berkner Dirty Sock Funtime Band | "Being a Conductor Would Rock", "Sneaks", "Super Spies", "Orchestral Song" | January 27, 2007 |
| 21 | 8 | "Scat Cat" | Laurie Berkner The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players | "I Have a Friend (Super Swell Friends)", "Scat-Scat-a-Tat-Tat", "The Wiggle Dance", "The Cat Came Back", "You're the One Who's Made for Me and I Was Made for You" | January 28, 2007 |
| 22 | 9 | "Groundhog Day" | Laurie Berkner Steve Burns and Steven Drozd Jon Stewart | "Hip Hip Hooray For Groundhog Day", "First Day of Preschool", "When Will Spring Be Sprung?", "I Hog the Ground", "I Had a Friend" | February 2, 2007 |
| 23 | 10 | "Jack's Super Swell Sing-Along" | Laurie Berkner & Susie Lampert Rebekah Jordan Justin Roberts Lisa Loeb | "Sing-Along Song", "Samba", "Just Stopped By", "Down at the Barbershop", "Kelly Green", "I Like to Rap", "This Is Zydeco", "Jenny Jenkins" | February 2, 2007 |
| 24 | 11 | "Laurie's Big Song" | Laurie Berkner Comic Book Heroes Leon Thomas | "Get on the Train", "A Little Bitty Rhythm", "You Can't Call an Elephant Without an Elephant Call", "Purple People Eater", "Duck 4" | February 4, 2007 |
| 25 | 12 | "Mel's Bath Day" | Cheryl Hines Laurie Berkner AudraRox | "You Must Take a Bath", "Super Sudsy Bubblestein Bubbles", "I'm a Mess", "I Hope My Mama Says Yes", "A Bath Is Alright" | October 13, 2007 |
| 26 | 13 | "Jack and the Beanstalk" | Tyler Bunch Laurie Berkner David Pleasant | "Up", "Shala-La-La", "Anyone Can Make a Song", "In the Clouds", "Deegah Joyah" | April 1, 2008 |
Influences
In an interview on the Nick Jr. website, Rudman says that The Jack Benny Show was an influence on Jack's Big Music Show (along with The Little Rascals).[2]
The names Jack, Mary, Mel, and the "Schwartzman Quartet" are references to characters on The Jack Benny Program (Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Mel Blanc, and the Sportsmen Quartet). Other possible name references to Jack Benny Program regulars include the squirrels Sheldon and Leonard (Sheldon Leonard), Phil the Coo-Coo Bird (Phil Harris), and Gertrude the Groundhog (Bea Benaderet's recurring character Gertrude Gearshift).
The ring around Mel's eye is an obvious homage to Pete the Pup from The Little Rascals.
Hannert says that the music is influenced by Chuck Berry and the whole history of rock and roll.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Kindie Rock, Scott Lamb, Salon.com, June 24, 2006
- ^ Meet the Creators of Jack's Big Music Show Nick Jr. Website
External links
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