Tribute to SCIENCE!: R.I.P. Mark Ritts

I am one of a great generation.

The last Generation that was entertained by that great medium of thought and entertainment that is nowhere to be seen nowadays: Educational Science shows. In the midst of all the "violent, stupid cartoons" that many "watchdog" parents paid more attention to than their kids, I, along with many my age (or slightly older) were given enough to stimulate our minds (cartoons and sugary breakfast foods), and then exposed to what wonders could be done with just the right combination of anything.

And we had some great things to be exposed to.

We were at the tail end of Mr. Wizard, with his simple Science Fair-type experiments that could be done in your home (with your parents permission of course). Experiments like how to create a vortex with a jug of water and a two-liter bottle. Or the effects of temprature on the expansion of molecules in metal or a balloon. It helps that Mr. Wizard himself remined us of our kid-friendly next door neighbors who taught Science in our schools or grandfather who liked to do experiments in his garage. Okay, I didn't grow up with anyone like that around me, but it helps convey my point. Mr. Wizard helped make Science accessible to AYNONE with the spirit to learn and experiment.

We were also at the foundation of one of the greatest figures of SCIENCE! in our lifetimes: Bill Nye the Science Guy. If you're like me, you already have the theme going through your head. There wasn't a time where I didn't watch Bill Nye. Ghostwriter, Bill Nye and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego were three of my favorite shows growing up. Bill was like that Science teacher you had who just looked like he belonged in a mad scientist's lab. And Bill covered almost every science topic. From acne to fossils to Music. I mean, for Sagan's sake, he used The Time Warp with Richard O'Brien in an episode? How AWESOME is that?!

But for many, there is one show that challenged many viewers to say that Bill Nye was their favorite. This show took their experiments to a more "humorous" bent. Their rule of thumb was that if it could be broken, it was. And if it was broken already, then they sought to find out how far it could be broken. That same rule of thumb also applied to being slimed, or covered in something, or even having something thrown into somebody's face.

That's right, that show was the Weird Al Show!

But I'm going to talk about it's spiritual kin, Beakman's World.

Whereas Bill Nye was for those more akin to nerds (say what you will about me, I can take it as well as dish it), Beakman was perfect for those who didn't want to be in class, or were in detention, or faking illness to get out of school. You know who you are! Okay, you were a normal kid, just like the rest of us. But you still watched it like I did. Like Bill Nye, Beakman's World covered many scientific topics. But instead of a single format, it was multi-thematic, with one episode covering at least two topics of discussion, plus a segment for questions submitted by the audience.

In tribute to these great shows, I now present my own idea!

DID YOU KNOW!!

Did you guys know!

- That Bill Nye had started his kid's television career on the Back to the Future Cartoon? That's right, he worked right alongside Christopher Lloyd on another kid's show! But the idea for the show actually came from another show, Almost Live! That's where Bil Nye first worked with the guy who would create the "Science Guy", Ross Shafer.

- That Mr. Wizard's original run was from 1951 to 1965? By the time it was orginally canceled, it had made 547 live broadcasts! It was then picked up as a Canadian exclusive in 1971, airing for 26 episodes into 1972. It was picked up by Nickelodeon in 1983 for it's most recognised airplay, making only 78 newer episodes before hitting syndication. It was finally pulled in 1990.

- That the puppets at the beginning and end of Beakman's World were called Don and Herbert? For those that don't recognize that name, when it's they're put together, it's the name of the guy who started this whole affair in the first place: Mr. Wizard!

- That the creator of the Bill Nye theme was Mark Greene? He used a vocoder and a pitch fluctuator to accomplish all the vocal effects used in the intro.

- That thay are planning to release Mr. Wizard as part of the Nick Rewind series? Every episode that aired on Nick in one collection would bring quite a bit of joy to those that grew up on it for a Christmas or Birthday gift.

- That the guy who played Lester (Mark Ritts) comes from a family of Puppeteers? He orginally wanted Lester to be a puppet that would interact with Beakman in all his experiments, but due to a last minute change, they decided to go with a disgruntled actor in a rat suit.

- That Bill Nye and Beaman's World have one thing in common, other than being about Science? They had one crew member, director/editor/writer Michael Gross. He worked on both shows at the same time.

- That Don Herbert was one of the first guests on Late Night with David Letterman? Seriously, he's on the very first episode!

- That the man who created the Beakman theme was Mark Mothersbaugh, lead singer of Devo? It's an amalgamation of Zydeco and Synthpop, with sound effects to give it "wackiness".

- That Beakman's mom was Edith Bunker? Jean Stapleton, who is most famous for All in the Family, played "Beakmom", Beakman's mother.

No matter what age, you can stand to learn something. Yeah, you might be older, but you still could use to learn something, even if it's something you already know. If these were already out on DVD collections, I wouldn't be afraid to show that I know what they're talking about behind my back. As kids, we were ridiculed for spending a lot of time working on what we know. Nowadays, we're the guys who get ahead. We're the guys unafraid to dream, think and inagine. And it's all because we took the time to learn about ourselves while watching a little tv.

NOTE: This post is dedicated to Mark Ritts, who passed away on December 7th, 2009 due to Cancer, and Don Herbert, who died on June 12th, 2007 due to Multiple Myeloma. Though they are gone, they will never fade away, even as we turn off our screens when the shows end. Looking forward to be entertained and educated when I die, guys!