These Are the Days (TV series)

These Are the Days is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by the Hanna-Barbera studios and broadcast on ABC from September 7, 1974, to September 27, 1975.[1]

These Are the Days
Voices ofFrank Cady
Pamelyn Ferdin
Moosie Drier
Sam Edwards
Jack Haley
Henry Jones
June Lockhart
Andrew Parks
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producersWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Running time30 minutes
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseSeptember 7, 1974 (1974-09-07) –
September 27, 1975 (1975-09-27)

Plot

Set at the turn of the 20th century[2] in the old town called Elmsville located somewhere on the Great Plains, These Are the Days portrayed the everyday lives of the Day family, which consisted of the widow, her three children and her father, the self-styled inventor. Various family members interacted with friends and neighbors, with the story usually ending with the lesson learned.

Production

Due to the popularity of The Waltons, ABC decided to take a chance on an animated program set around the turn of the century.[3] It was one of three "serious" programs the network aired on Saturday mornings in 1974, the others being the prehistoric live-action drama Korg: 70,000 B.C. and the animated family drama Devlin. These Are the Days and Devlin were among the very few dramatic programs ever produced by Hanna-Barbera, who were known primarily for slapstick comedies and action-adventure cartoons.[4] (Warner Bros. has since acquired Hanna-Barbera Productions via Turner Entertainment, as well as Lorimar Productions, which produced The Waltons.)

Despite critical acclaim, however, These Are the Days was a ratings failure, as were Devlin and Korg: 70,000 B.C.; all three series were cancelled by the end of the year. These Are the Days continued in re-runs (only twelve original episodes were shown in the fall of 1974), with four new episodes shown in September 1975.[5]

Cast

Episodes
No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Sensible Ben"September 7, 1974 (1974-09-07)
An introduction to the Day family and their friends. The normally sensible Ben is swindled out of his savings by a hustler, but he is not the only person to be conned.
2"The Fire Brigade"September 14, 1974 (1974-09-14)
Grandpa Day loses his job as a fireman when he is told he is too old to do the job.
3"Danny's Musical Dilemma"September 21, 1974 (1974-09-21)
Danny is torn between doing what he wants to do and what he should do. The Day family has their annual family reunion on the same day as the tryouts for a band that he wants to join. He only has a few hours left to make his decision.
4"Danny Runs Away"September 28, 1974 (1974-09-28)
Jeff tries to play peacemaker between Ben and Danny, only to have it backfire on him. Danny gets so upset by the situation that he decides to run away from home. Ben and Jeff set out to find their brother before he gets too far away or is injured.
5"Ben for President"October 5, 1974 (1974-10-05)
Ben decides to make a run for class President and hopes for the support of his family and friends. He finds himself disappointed when one of his supporters becomes a challenger for the job.
6"The Good Luck Charm"October 12, 1974 (1974-10-12)
After Danny gets two black eyes from the local bully, Judd Taylor, Ben gives him a piece of a lamp to use as a good luck charm.
7"Kathy's Job"October 19, 1974 (1974-10-19)
Kathy gets a job at Gundersen's Ice Cream Parlor in order to buy a dress for an upcoming dance.
8"The Runaway Horse"October 26, 1974 (1974-10-26)
Ben wants to keep a runaway horse, and names it Pegasus.
9"How Ben Was Cowed"November 2, 1974 (1974-11-02)
When Jeff's prize cow, Delilah, wanders off due to carelessness on Ben's part, he and his siblings set out to find her and bring her home before Martha and Jeff return from running errands in another town.
10"Grandpa and the Great Cyclic Harmonium Swindle"November 9, 1974 (1974-11-09)
Jeff invents the cyclic harmonium, a bicycle with a gramophone attached. Mr. Whitehead and Mr. Barnaby swindle him out of $750. Ben, Kathy, and Danny concoct a plan to get the money back.
11"The Visitor"November 16, 1974 (1974-11-16)
Murdock the magician comes to town, and agrees to take part in a benefit show to raise money for a new bell at the town hall.
12"The Most Precious Gift of All"November 23, 1974 (1974-11-23)
Danny forgets to buy Jeff a birthday present. So when he finds a watch bob in the street, he decides to give it as a gift, only to discover it was lost by his coach.
13"The Spa"September 6, 1975 (1975-09-06)
The Days discover a hot spring on their property, and Jeff decides to use it as a spa.
14"Hello Mrs. McGivern, Goodbye"September 13, 1975 (1975-09-13)
Mrs McGivern is brought in to act as a housekeeper while Martha visits her mother. Trouble is, this housekeeper subjects the kids and Jonas to strict discipline.
15"The Balloon"September 20, 1975 (1975-09-20)
Jeff decides to use a hot air balloon to facilitate hauling logs. Homer steals it after he and Jeff argue about a property line.
16"The Feud"September 27, 1975 (1975-09-27)
Jeff and his friend Rupert Bottomley begin feuding over a catfish, with Danny Day and Rupert's grandson, Butch, caught in the crosshairs.

References
  1. Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part 1: Animated Cartoon Series. Scarecrow Press. pp. 287–288. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  2. In the episode "Kathy's Job", one character is described as driving a Stutz Bearcat automobile; this would seem to suggest the 1910s, as the Bearcat was in production from 1911-39.
  3. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 637. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  4. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 842–843. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  5. Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 428. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
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