retro

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a boat for sale...

This web site is selling what they say is the original S.S. Minnow from Gilligan's Island. Boing Boing readers aren't so sure, saying the show started before that, but others say that this could have been one of several boats used during the show's run. Looks liegit to me.

It's $99,000, with an engine rebuilt in 1999.

If you're like me, and I know I am, you grew up watching Knight Rider on TV. Or, if you're a bit older, you probably listened to the old Knight Rider radio program featuring Orson Welles.* Anyway, if you enjoyed the adventures of Michael and his car pal KITT but always wished that KITT were much smaller and much, much slower, I invite you to check out an old toy commercial for the "Knight Rider Impossibles" race set. Between this, America's Got Talent, and reruns of Baywatch, I think your Hasselhoff quota should be met for the day. That's why I'm here, to make those things happen. Check out the video after the jump.

*(said radio program may not have actually existed)

(S06E06) When I first started covering the sixth season of The Simpsons for Retro Squad, some of you asked why I didn't cover one of the earlier "better" seasons. Well, there is a reason I chose this season instead of say, the fifth season (which includes one of my top five episodes, "Rosebud") but that reason no longer applies. What the heck am I talking about? Let's just say we had something cool planned, but it didn't pan out.

Nevertheless, this season had some great episodes, so I'm not at all sorry I chose to revisit them. Besides, if I hadn't picked this season I wouldn't be able to talk about possibly one of the best Halloween episodes ever. So if you'll take my bloody, severed hand, we'll get started:

Well, not really, but C. Martin Croker, who provided the voice of both Zorak and Moltar on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast has a blog, and it's quite interesting if you're interested in older comics, animation, and toys. Right now Croker has posted an interview from the early '90s conducted by John K. with Flintstones designer Ed Benedict, and check out this page from an old Dennis the Menace comic where Mr. Wilson explains to the boys what a hookah is. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure in the next issue Dennis' father shows the neighborhood kids how to turn an apple into a bong. Packed with important lessons those old comic books were.

[via Cartoon Brew]

(S06E03) The Simpsons has done more than a few clip shows in its almost two decades of existence, and while these looks back at past episodes usually tend to be the least favorite among fans for obvious reasons, I will say that at least the episodes are framed in such a way as to still make them worth watching. Besides, you get to see some great scenes from past episodes. It's like a slideshow that's not quite so boring, you know?

The big finales are finally over. Though we have a few cool premieres starting in the coming weeks, from Rescue Me (5/30) to Deadwood (6/11), let's face it -- TV isn't the same after May sweeps. The question that's floated around the TV Squad headquarters in the past couple of months has been, "what else can we review for the readers?" Enter "Retro Squad."

Starting this coming Sunday, we're going to take you back in time just a little bit. Remember all of those great shows that are no longer airing, either from being cancelled or ending long runs and taking a bow? Or maybe you remember the first seasons of shows still on the air? Of course you do; it's what makes you one of the millions of fans of these cult-classic shows. Well, we're going to bring them back to you, one episode at a time, every week. Read on for the exciting details.

Will there ever be a new Voltron series? More importantly, why can't anyone come up with an original idea anymore? Well, I'll lament that on my own time. Let's focus on the (non-existent) new Voltron animated series. The original Voltron was a staple of many a Saturday morning TV diet in the early 80s, and fans began to salivate when it was announced last year that a brand new series was in pre-production. Unfortunately, that's the last anyone has heard about it. The flow of information simply stopped and no one is quite sure exactly what the deal is. However, Kick Start Productions still lists Voltron as "in production" on its Web site. I'm rooting for the show to make it to the air, though my enthusiasm is diluted somewhat by the fact that revamping old shows rarely makes for good television.

 

Yo, I wanna give a shout out to all my homies who used to rock a Commodore Computer. Can I get a "hells yeah?" While my friends were all pounding away on their Tandy Computers, I was playing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy text adventure game on my C64. At least, I would play up to the point where I had to figure out how to operate the Infinite Improbability Drive, then I'd always get stuck. Speaking of space exploration, I found this old Commodore ad, featuring William Shatner, to be quite interesting. Holy cow, it's like an Atari... with a keyboard!