Klickstein - Slimed!: an oral history of Nickelodeons golden age

ON YOUR MARK! GET SET!! STOP!!!

Now that I have your attention, lets talk about one of the most amazing channels ever created. One that pretty much changed the landscape of kids TV, not to mention my fledgling showbiz career!

My first introduction to Nickelodeon was long before my Double Dare audition. It was our night-light, when our babies came home from the hospital and wanted that three-in-the-morning feeding. Cable was young, and we would catch the East Coast feed of a show that looked like something from the fifties: Pinwheel. The production, in my opinion, was horrible: the puppets were lackluster, and it seemed they reran the same six shows over and over. Yet I was mesmerized.

Fast-forward the tape to 1986. I was doing many things to feed my family. These included warm-ups on TV shows like Webster, Star Search, and Whats HappeningNow!... and working as a stand-up comic and magician in clubs all over LA. A friend from Indianapolisa ventriloquistdecided he was ending his performing career, moving behind the camera, and called to tell me about an audition I should attend instead of him. He said the network was Nickelodeon, and it was a kids game show. Hell, at that point of my life, I would audition for anything. Well, as we all know, it worked out pretty well.

The first day at the studio set the tone for what was about to come down. It was a bunch of young guys who were very bright and creative and yet had little experience in the world of game shows. I was the old man of the group at age thirty-four (although focus groups thought I was in my early twenties), with thirteen years of experience as a game show writer. I had crossed paths with some of the greats, including Bob Barker, Jack Barry, and Ralph Edwards. It really did not matter. We all had a sick sense of humor, were nostalgic for early TV referencesand did I mention, we could do pretty much whatever we wanted?

Geraldine Laybourne was running the place and had a great philosophy: Hire people who know what they are doing... and then let them do their jobs. I miss her! That is why the joint was successful. We were allowed to be a little off center, think on the spot, and, in my opinion, play up to the audience. We never felt we were doing a kids show. We compared our humor to Rocky & Bullwinkle and Soupy Sales. It was kids TV that parents wanted to watch. It was one of the main reasons Double Dare took off.

Our success on Double Dare opened the floodgates. All of a sudden, kids had their own game shows, talk shows, variety shows, sitcoms, and dramas. They were all a bit raw in production values, but the casting was superb, as was the writing. The people on screen spoke like real kids and were not blue-eyed, blond-haired specimens from the perfect world of Disney. The audience could relate to what they saw on the screen. Finally!

Add to this contests that included romps through toy stores; Nick Takes Over Your School; arena tours with Double Dare, What Would You Do?, and GUTS... and the best slogan anywhere: The place where only kids win! It was to kids of a particular generation the golden age of TV. Now, well into their thirties, these viewers look back fondly on the shows, characters, and music associated with these programs.

Why did it work? Was it the casting? The writing? The irreverence? Was it just timing? What you are about to read might explain it. Personally, I think it is like trying to dissect a joke. Why is it funny? Who cares? It worked, and we are all glad it did. Sooooooo...

On your mark! Get set!! Go!!!!

Happy Reading!

MARC SUMMERS
Host, Double Dare and What Would You Do?

This oral history of Nickelodeon is created from a series of original, one-on-one interviews conducted by the author. Some quotes have been appropriately modified for purposes of clarity.