Between 1995 and 1998, PBS fed children with classic tales like Ivanhoe and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow through a wise dog named Wishbone. The imaginative Jack Russell Terrier was inserted into the plots of countless books and always found a way to connect even the most esoteric tome with the real-life problems of its owner, Ellen Talbot, and his teenage son, Joe.
But how did PBS achieve this canine-focused kiddie? Theater masterpiece? How Fuse save college averages? And what’s the story with the news that Wishbone may be making a comeback on the big screen? Read on for more information on the hit children’s series.
one) FuseThe creator was inspired by his own Jack Russell Terrier.
Fuse Creator and executive producer Rick Duffield has long been intrigued by the concept of telling children’s stories from a dog’s point of view, like his own Jack Russell Terrier. It only took a fateful glance in his own library for the whole idea to take hold. “I had gotten used to giving voice to the expressions and exploits of my own dog around the house,” Duffield said. The New Yorker. “One afternoon, as I struggled to turn that urge into a spectacle, I gazed at the row of books on my credenza. The one that caught my attention that day was Frank Magill’s. Masterpieces of world literature. Well, what if a puppy with a great imagination could lead us to some of the best stories ever told? And why not make him the hero?
2. A total of five dogs played Wishbone over the years.
Wishbone’s coveted role was for a Los Angeles-based puppy named Soccer. But football could not be in every shot. Although he did most of the work on the screen, the studio also employed three other Jack Russell Terriers for stunts (Phoebe, Slugger, and Shiner) and one for advertising images only (Bear).
3. Soccer, the main dog to play Wishbone, won over the creators with its backflip.
According to an “interview” that Soccer gave to Children’s life magazine, he was chosen from a group of approximately 100 dogs for his personality and impressive tricks. During the 1994 casting, Soccer made a backflip that left the producers speechless. It is true that he had a great teacher. Football owner Jackie Kaplan was an experienced dog trainer who also trained the Dobermans chasing Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies.
4. Jensen Ackles started Fuse.
You can currently watch Jensen Ackles on TV as Dean Winchester, one of the ghost hunter brothers in Supernatural. Her first television credit, however, came from Fuse. Ackles got his big break by playing Michael Duss, the preppy teenager with a knack for “mechanical stuff,” in the season 1 episode “Long Live Wishbone!” Check it out in the clip above.
5. Amy Acker appeared in three episodes of Fuse.
Similarly, Joss Whedon Amy Acker regular – from Angel and Doll’s House Fame: Fantasy sequences from three different episodes of Fuse. This gave him famous literary roles as Catherine Morland of Northanger AbbeyPriscilla Mullins of The Courtship of Miles Standishand even Venus from The eneida. Look up to see your turn as that Roman goddess.
6) Fuse It was not just for children.
Duffield received tons of letters from young children, parents, and teachers while Fuse It was in the air. But the series hit another unexpected audience. “It tickled us that so many college students liked the show,” she said. “Some would write us thank you notes for helping them get through the lighted freshman class.”
7. Mo Rocca wrote for Fuse.
You’ve probably caught comedian Mo Rocca in I love the 80s, The Daily Show or CBS Sunday Morning. However, in 1995, he was just another writer for Fuse. As Rocca recalled in her 2016 graduation speech at Sarah Lawrence College (which you can see above), “Writing on that show meant taking some of the best stories ever told: the books you were supposed to read in college but that I had not read and which ones I am sure they have, and to retell each one in half an hour for the children, with a dog in the main role … It was a training camp to tell stories “.
8. Wishbone’s voice actor made a cameo … as a voice actor for Wishbone.
Wishbone was voiced by Larry Brantley. The actor appeared in voice only throughout the series, with one exception. In the episode “Rushin ‘to the Bone”, Brantley has a brief cameo as an actor named Larry Brinkley. This is larry also dubbing Wishbone, while filming a dog food commercial involving a faux Scottish castle and vintage attire.
9. Wishbone toured the Mall of America.
Between the first and the second season of Fuse, Football hit the road. She appeared in shopping malls across the United States, waving to her fans from a red couch. And her accommodation was not bad at all. While traveling, Soccer flew first class, stayed in four-star hotels, and had her own security details. Persons He noted that the handlers even gave Soccer a code name: The President.
10) Fuse I got a spin-off movie and several book series.
Wishbone was mostly a type of episodic dog, but he managed to record a feature film. Wishbone’s Dog Days of the West premiered on Showtime in the spring of 1998. It was based on O. Henry’s collection of short stories. Heart of the west, and went straight to the video shortly after her television debut.
A movie may be thin filmography, but Wishbone’s bibliography is much larger: Between 1996 and 2001, there were nine different Fuse series of books. The first franchise, Wishbone Classics, consisted of direct novelizations of the television series. But soon there was Wishbone adventures, Wishbone Mysteriesand even Wishbone: the early years, a series that followed Wishbone as a puppy. The latest series of Fuse The books arrived in 2000 and 2001, all by the same author (AD Francis). You can still get them from Amazon.
eleven) Fuse It could be making a comeback on the big screen.
Almost 20 years after Wishbone finished its original series, the literature-loving dog is ready for its close-up (again). In July 2020 Hollywood reporter announced that a Fuse The film was in process, with comedy legend Peter Farrelly set to produce, with Mattel Films and Universal teaming up to distribute the film.
“Our in-depth library of iconic franchises continues to offer cinematic storytelling opportunities,” said Robbie Brenner of Mattel Films, who will be the executive producer. “We are delighted to be working with Peter Farrelly, Roy Parker and Universal to take the beloved dog classic to a new direction with a modern reinvention of the franchise.”
This story has been updated for 2020.
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