Book About Greensboro Fractured Fairy Tales on DVD Lola Falana on DVD Bing Crosby Christmas TV Specials on DVD! The Goldbergs on DVD Classic Commercials on DVD 1950's Saturday Morning Shows
TV Shows on DVD/ / / / / / / Punk Book / / / / / / / / / / / Holiday Specials on DVD / / / / / / Classic Commercials

 

shrimpenstein
HERE'S A TVparty LOOK AT
SHRIMPENSTEIN
IN REAL VIDEO FORMAT -
(3:02)

ShrimpensteinI enjoyed your site, but thought I would see something about Shrimpenstein. It was on KHJ channel 9 in LA from January 1967 to sometime in 1968.

The hosts were Gene Moss (Dr. Von Schtick) and Jim Thurman (voices). Shrimpenstein was a miniature Frankenstein monster (a ventriloquist dummy who was "created" when jellybeans were thrown into the Monster Machine - no, I did not make this up).

The show was in color, and I still have my Shrimpenstein Value stamps and a 45 rpm record of the opening theme sung by Gene Moss in a bad Boris Karloff imitation.

Moss and Thurman wrote the Roger Ramjet cartoons and did advertising campaigns, mostly for radio. Moss later did voice-overs for LA's channel 2 news and Disney/Touchstone pictures previews.

classic tv showsThurman also wrote and did voices for Sesame Street. Shrimpenstein was funny and irreverent which probably led to its downfall, as they made fun of the sponsors (McDonalds) and the cartoons on the show (the very limited animation Marvel superheroes). We made audio tapes but I have no idea where they are today.

- Sincerely, Mike G


My cousin and I were both big Shrimpenstien fans and lived not far from the KHJ Channel 9 Studios on Melrose so we decided to go visit. There was a guard at the gate on the west entrance to the studio and the he wasn't at all interested in helping us visit our friends.

The lady behind the glass in the lobby was equally unhelpful, so being resourceful 10 year olds we went to the unmanned gate on the east side of the studio, crawled underneath it and walked around to the back of the building and into the first open door.

classic tvInside we found ourselves on the Shrimpenstein set! Sitting on a counter in front of the lab was Shrimpenstein himself. We both took turns making Shrimpenstein talk, imitating his voice and generally having the time of our lives until someone came on set and asked us what we were doing there. It was none other than Dr. Von Schtick, Gene Moss himself. I can't remember what we told him but I do remember that he showed us around the set and gave us autographed pictures before we crawled back under the gate to where we had left our bikes.

We went back once or twice and would watch as long as they would let us, fetching water or whatever anybody needed just for the chance to hang out with our pals. Eventually one of us let it slip what we had been up to and our parents banned us from ever sneaking into KHJ again.

- Craig

classic tv - shrimpenstein

Eric Smith writes: Hi, TVparty! I found your information on Shrimpenstein very valuable. I haven't had a chance to see many of the shows, (just the one on YouTube currently,) but I'm definitely a fan. I recently created and blogged an illustration of Shrimpy and Dr. Von Schtick and thought I would let you know, in case you'd like to add it to your Shrimpenstein page. I'm attaching it to this email.

The original blog post is here with desktop wallpaper and the original sketch. Thanks for the excellent website. Keep it up!


ShrimpensteinI remember this show quite well. There were a few other characters besides von Schtick and Shrimpenstein. There was Wilfred the Weenie Wolf, who did the spots for Hormel Wieners, one of the shows sponsors.

Wilfred was just a hand, wearing a rubber werewolf glove. He lived in a box, like Thing from 'The Addams Family.' Then there were the Tijuana Bats, bat puppets that lip-synched current popular songs. I also remember a character similar White Fang from the Soupy Sales Show (furry arm, off-camera voice) but can't remember the name.

- yours sincerely, Tabonga


The Shrimpenstein series with Gene Moss and Jim Thurman had that zany little puppet that was built by renowned artiste Wah Chang.

Chang was responsible for all sorts of stuff, not the least, the props, weapons, etc in the original Star Trek. Moss and Thurmon later went on (well, not much later) to do a short - lived Johnny Carson-esque talk show on KHJ as well as writing AND voicing the cult favorite Roger Ramjet.

- Robert Hill


Shrimpenstein TV showAlways nice to remember old favorites. The RealLittlePartiGirl site has some things on Shrimpie as well. Gene and Jim were fired from Shrimpenstein and replaced by KHJ announcer, Wayne Thomas, for a few months preceding Shrimp's demise. Wayne-o just didn't have it!

They did do the late night talk show thing during the summer of '67... it was called "The Moss & Thurman Show OR The Thurman & Moss Show OR The OR Show". They had a 3-piece combo, headed by Stan Worth (along with Whitey Mitchell on bass and Allan Goodman on drums).

ShrimpensteinThey had screwy guests (I think Brother Theodore may have been on), as well as an actual notable person from time to time. It was on Monday through Thursday at 10:00 pm on Channel 9. They had a studio audience, first come first serve, and the audience members would bring big poster signs. It was silly and fun... you might say nifty.

Thereafter Gene and Jim concentrated on their advertising career for awhile ... Der Weinerschnizel is my personal favorite (Der Weinerschnitzel, weinerschnitzel, dis must be the place. Just Drive right in and put a great big hot dog in your face). We'd watch out for various commercials they'd be in or do the voice of (Gene's Coffeemate "Rounds out the flavor of a good cup of coffee" -- the square cup morphing to round, and Jim as the VandeKamp's Fisherman, all decked out in yellow slicker).

As has been noted, they started doing voices on Sesame Street, and Jim eventually became a writer for the Electric Company and, I believe, won an Emmy. Most recently (although it has been awhile) I picked up their voices on MathNet on PBS.

- Ann R.


shrimpensteinThe creator of
Shrimpenstein

The zany comedy team of Gene Moss and Jim Thurman put the "Shrimpenstein" show on the map, but they were not the creators of the character Shrimpenstein or the show.

I, Mike Dormer, being of semi-sound mind, dreamed up the little squirt while seated at my stylish plastic kitchen table in the mid-sixties in Ocean Beach, California.

Lee teacher, my creative cohort at the time and I have the copyright as proof. Our pal at Capitol Records, producer/packager Fred Rice, suggested that we cook up some cute monster characters for merchandising, and when he saw Shrimpy, the fuse was lit. Fred, Lee, and I honed him visually, then we took the idea to KHJ and pitched the "suits" there on a TV show.

shrimpensteinTeacher and I had been doing rock radio promo stuff at the station with a guy named Don Berrigan, so we had an "in." KHJ bought the idea and we started to knit the show together. Fred had worked with Moss and Thurman before on record albums, so they were plugged in as actors. Teacher and I became instant TV writers.

The Shrimpenstein puppet was cleverly crafted by noted sculptor and puppetmeister, Wah Chang. I designed the Shrimpy set and all the goofy machines used on the show, and our crackerjack stage crew built every thing in record time. Teacher and I wrote the Shrimpenstein theme song lyrics.

- Mike Dormer

shrimpenstein

LA's LOCAL KID SHOWS
Overview of the 50s and 60s / Sheriff John / Romper Room / Chucko, the Birthday Clown / Engineer Bill / Hobo Kelly / Shrimpenstein / Baby Daphne / Skip and Woofer's Last Show / More LA Locals
/ 'Shotgun Tom' Kelly's Words-A-Poppin'

TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!

 

Classic Commercials on DVDMary Tyler Moore Show on DVD

Local Kid Shows / classic tv children's shows - Shrimpenstein!
Los Angeles Locals

Gene Moss in ShrimpensteinGene Moss, comic/character actor, mimic, scriptwriter and puppeteer who hosted one of Los Angeles' most popular kids TV comedy shows, "Shrimpenstein," has died.

Mr. Moss hosted "Shrimpenstein" weekday evenings on KJH (now KCAL) Ch. 9 during the late 1960's. Co-starring in the series was comedy scribe Jim Thurman (who would go on to greater fame as one of the writers on "Mash").

Mr. Moss' Dr. Von Schtick was pelted with cream pies, dealt with smart-alecky monster puppets and made references to the Marvel Superheroes cartoons that he screened on his show as "another Marvel mediocrity" or "one of those TV cartoons that doesn't move."
-Kevin S. Butler


Gene Moss / classic tv shows Video thanks to
Cartoon Research
cartoonresearch.com
- thanks guys!

The quality of the video that survived is not great, but it's all there is!


Gene Moss recorded an album called 'Dracula's Greatest Hits.'


Please consider a donation
so we can continue this work!

 

Amazon Prime - unlimited streaming
of your fave TV shows and movies!
Get your FREE 30 Day Trial!

PR4 & PR5 Pages for Advertising

 

 

Video on Demand Rent or Buy

Entertainment Collectables

 

 

 


Local Kid Shows / Movie Stars on TV / Saturday Morning Shows / Video Vault / TV Goodbyes / Fabulous Fifties / Unseen Scenes / Game Shows / Requested Forgotten TV Shows / The Super Sixties / More Modern TV Shows / The New * * Shows / 1980's Wrestling / TV Blog

TVparty! Classic TV
Classic TV on the Internet!

TV's Embarrassing Moments / Action Shows of the Sixties / TVparty Mysteries and Scandals / Variety Shows of the 1970s / The Eighties / The Laugh Track / 1970's Hit Shows / Response to TVparty / Search the Site / Add Your Comments

TV Kid Shows Lost Kid Shows Homepage / Shock Theater's Zacherle / Sesame Street / Andy's Gang / Sandy Becker / TV Pow! / Hilarious House of Frightenstein / The Friendly Giant / Madison's Cowboy Eddie / Who Was Doodles Weaver? / Lost Kid Show Recordings / Winky-Dink and You / Remembering Winky-Dink / Captain Kangaroo / The Old Rebel Show / The Soupy Sales Show / Walt Disney's Shows / The Magic Garden / Mad Mad Monster Party / Houston Local Kid Shows / Boston Local Kid Shows / Fabulous Sally Starr / New York City Locals / More New York City Locals / Tooter the Turtle / Crusader Rabbit / Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney / Alex Toth's Television Work / Diver Dan and Whirlybirds / Sonny Fox's Wonderama / The Pinky Lee Show / Bizarre Kid Shows / Chicago's Kid Shows / Chicago's Ray Rayner Show / Garfield Goose and Friends / Bob Bell's Bozo Show on WGN / Bill Jackson's Shows / Gigglesnort Hotel Memories / Bob McAllister's Wonderama / Cincinnati Local Kid Shows / More Cincinnati Locals / Make A Wish / Hot Dog / Supermarionation Puppet Shows / Philadelphia Kid Shows / Philly's Captain Noah / The Chief Halftown Show / Philly's Gene London / Bertie the Bunyip / Dickory Doc / Adam Android / LA Kid Shows / The Merry Mailman / Do Do The Kid From Outer Space / Romper Room / Romper Room Around the USA / St. Louis Kiddie Shows / Religious Kid Shows / San Francisco Local Kid Shows / Johnny Jellybean / Johnny Jupiter / Shrimpenstein / Uncle Fred Sayles / Raleigh's Uncle Paul / Shenanigans and Video Village / Pip the Piper / Thanksgiving Day Cartoon Specials of the 70s / Monster Movie Matinee / Big Blue Marble / STM Club / Popeye on TV / Cleveland Local Kid Shows / Wixie's Wonderland / Jet Jackson and Sky King / The Original Animated Hercules / Ruff & Reddy

Classic TV Commercials / 1950's TV / 1960's TV / Punk Book / / 1970's TV / Groucho vs William F Buckley / / TV Games / Honey Boo Boo / Lucy Shows / Classic Cars / John Wayne / Gene Roddenberry / Rockford Files / Sea Hunt / Superman on DVD / Toy Gun Ads / Flip Wilson Show / Big Blue Marble / Monty Hall / Carrascolendas / Mr. Dressup / Major Mudd / Chief Halftown / Baby Daphne / Sheriff John / Winchell & Mahoney / Fireball X-L5 / Mr. Wizard / Captain Noah / Thanksgiving Day Specials / Disney's First Christmas Special / Saturday Morning Cartoons / The Magic Garden / Amahl & the Night Visitors / Holiday Toy Commercials / Lucy & Desi's Last Christmas Show / Joey Heatherton / Fat Albert / The Virginian / Bewitched / Death of John Wayne / 1974 Saturday Mornings / Chuck McCann / Rudolph Collectables / Shrimpenstein / Local Popeye Shows / New Treasure Hunt / 1966 ABC TV Shows / 1967 TV Shows / 1968 TV Shows / Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes & Baby Doll / Fridays / TV Moms / Red Skelton / Star Wars / KISS / Lancelot Link / Saturday Morning Cartoons / The Magic Garden / Wonder Woman / Classic Comic Books / Andy Griffith / Cher / TV Shows on DVD / Outtakes & Bloopers / 1967 TV Shows / Romper Room / ABC Movie of the Week / The Goldbergs / Daws Butler Commercials / Saturday Morning Commercials / Captain Kangaroo / Chicago Local Kiddie Shows / Boston Local TV / Philly Local TV / NYC Local Kid Shows / Amos 'n' Andy / Electric Company / Bette Davis / Judy Garland / Christmas Specials / Redd Foxx / Good Times / Sitcom Houses / The Oldest Italianate Architecture in the United States / What's Happening! / Winky Dink & You / Sonny & Cher / Smothers Brothers / Commercial Icons of the 1960s / Soupy Sales / The Carpenters / Route 66 / Bozo / The Carpenters Christmas Specials / Local Kid Shows / Death of TV's Superman / Wonderama / Sesame Street / Bob Hope Specials / Little Rascals / 1980's Retro Gay T-Shirts / 1980's TV Wrestling / Fess Parker / Howdy Doody / TV Blog / Lost In Space / Pinky Lee / 1980's LA Punk Rock / Alex Toth Book / TV Terrorists / Irwin Allen / The Untouchables / Carol Burnett Show / Batman TV Show / Green Hornet / Today Show History / Our Gang / Doris Day Show / 1970's Commercials For Women / Bill Cosby in the 1970s / The Golddiggers /Classic TV Lola Falana / 1970s TV Shows / David Bowie on TV / Hudson Brothers / Jackie Gleason / Hollywood Squares / Match Game / Bob Keeshan / Gumby / The Flip Wilson Show / Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour / The Bobby Darin Show / The Richard Pryor Show / George Burns / Lucy's Lost Christmas Special / Classic Christmas Toy Commercials / Cricket On The Hearth / 1950's Holiday Shows / Amahl and the Night Visitors / A Christmas Carol on TV / The Yule Log / Celebrity Commercials / Rudolph / Movie Posters & More! 

Grizzly Adams on DVDs “The Peabody & Sherman on DVD Soupy Sales DVD New TV He Man on DVD
Looking for classic TV on DVD?/See below:


Save money!