What's the Story, Wishbone?

Karina Oliveira

" . . . there were all kinds of dogs. You know, every size, shape, most of them mixed breeds. You know, like, and I just didn’t feel anything yet. And the very last dog that came was Soccer* . . . That dog did that flip . . . and I said, 'That's cool.' And then, his face, there was something about the face of that dog. When it looked at you, you felt like it was thinking about you. Like, there was an intelligence in the face of that dog. And so, that was it for me." -Rick Duffield, Executive Producer/Creator, WishboneSure, it’s an imperfect talking heads doc. But one wherein the yap is about the unlikely adventure that was a short-lived PBS series centered around a remarkably well-read Jack Russell with a vast imagination and an even more impressive wardrobe.** Plus, I learned that Larry Brantley, the voice of Wishbone, answered to “Dog Boy” on set. ♥️As an elder millennial, I was probably a little old for this***, but I would watch home-recorded eps on VHS tapes with my younger brothers, and this show is directly responsible for my perpetual envisioning of C. Auguste Dupin (certainly the first time I encountered the word "purloined") - alongside a host of other literary characters - as a dog (seriously, is this even in dispute?). And for that, I'm eternally grateful. "The kids saw these shows when they were little, and as they get older, they remember it. It never goes away, the experience of watching the show. It's gone, it’s long gone, but they'll always remember it. And I think the longer the time, the more fond the memories are.”Much gratitude to Matt for prompting this nostalgia trip. *For those stumped over where his name came from, Wikipedia's got ya covered.**Pup had the patience of a saint. ***Mo Rocca, who got his first television work writing for the show, appearing via an old interview with Larry King, states the intended age range as being from 6 to 11. So I could squeak in, barely (at least when the show premiered). Fuck it, I'm old now, and watching actors play Shakespeare with utmost earnestness opposite a canine co-star still brings me all kinds of joy. 🥰Watched via YouTube purchase.

stephen_sajdak3.0

A sweet little documentary about how dressing up a dog to play Victor Frankenstein on children's television came to be.

Jess4.0

Wishbone played a huge part of my childhood. It was my favorite show for a good part of it. I would constantly check out the vhs tapes at my library, look at the Wishbone books, and often played with my Wishbone toy. I know it got a lot of kids into reading, but I was fascinated by Wishbone himself more than anything else. I didn’t start to appreciate how well made this show was til years later. The sets and costumes were so freaking cool. There’s not a show like it and I don’t think there never will be.It was so cool to learn about how Wishbone was made. I loved learning about the costumes, the filming and the fact that theater actors were hired for the book segments. It was an ultimate amount of fan service for me. I ate it all up!It’s not the most well made documentary, but it was so nostalgic and fascinating that I couldn’t help but love it!Wishbone forever :)