Toronto Star: Nancy Charles: Childwatch – WOW! lives up to its ambitious name (1979)

Source: Toronto Star – Nancy Charles: Childwatch
Author: Nancy Charles
Published: October 20, 1979
Document Type: Newspaper Column / TV Feature
Source Link: View original newspaper scan (Degrassi Vault Gallery)

The CBC calls it WOW! And the Wonderful One-of-a-Kind Weekend Shows — aired every Saturday at noon — well deserve the acronym.

Each 60-minute ‘Superspecial for Superkids’ handles subjects of interest to young people of all ages. Dodie Robb, head of CBC-TV Children’s Department, says of the new series: “We are going to put the WOW! back into kids’ TV.” And that is exactly what they have done.

WOW!’s season debut began with a show entitled Chip and His Dog: How to Make an Opera featuring the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus at the Guelph, Ontario Spring Festival where rehearsals were taking place for Giancarlo Menotti’s new opera — created for and performed by children.

The opera in its entirety and various backstage preparations were shown during the special. To quote producer-director Stan Swan: “Chip and His Dog makes opera fun.”

Other specials to date include: The Peregrine Hunters, an adventure story from Britain’s well-known Children’s Film Foundation; The Stowaway, a suspense drama about three Toronto teenagers who discover an international espionage operation; The Talking Parcel — an animated adaptation of Gerald Durrell’s fantasy; Sharon, Lois and Bram Downtown, a day of musical adventure in Toronto with three of Canada’s most popular children’s entertainers; Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree; The Battle of Billy’s Pond, in which modern technology is both villain and hero; and Hey, Cinderella — the Muppet’s version of this classic tale.

Quite an impressive beginning, to say the least. Upcoming specials include Sky Pirates — a suspense drama from the Children’s Film Foundation, which is shown today; Serendipity Spy Glass, in which an old man teaches a young boy to appreciate the world around him, rather than take it for granted; Seal Island — a race-against-time adventure with three children trying to prevent hunters from killing 300 seals; Ida Makes a Movie, — in which a young girl is faced with a moral dilemma; and Chickadee — a television version of the popular nature magazine for children.

And that’s only a taste of what’s coming. Try to set aside some time to catch this interesting new series. It is definitely one of the most worthwhile in the CBC’s generally commendable children’s repertory.

Archival Note: This column, published October 20, 1979, is historically significant for Degrassi fans as it lists “Ida Makes a Movie” as an upcoming special. This short film, based on the book by Kay Chorao, served as the pilot for what would eventually become ‘The Kids of Degrassi Street’ and the wider Degrassi franchise. Notably, the TV listings for the same day (Section 25, 7:30 PM) included an interview with Linda Schuyler and Barry Duncan regarding the School of Experiential Education.