Prehistoric Home Schooling.

In 1974, Hanna-Barbera knew that Saturday morning TV, be it live-action or animated, had to be educational. So it premiered "Valley Of The Dinosaurs," whose "leading man" John Butler just happened to be a science teacher. By using the natural resources at their disposal, he and his family built and demonstrated the uses of siphons, submarines, hot air balloons, and even elevators(a tree was used to get to a cave up on a cliff).

I didn't get into the show until its time slot changed from 10 to 11. But thankfully, I was able to see one of H-B's most unforgettable shows. My little sis was favorably impressed, too. Each episode showed someone from both families, most often Greg and Tana, getting into some kind of trouble. One episode showed a pair of men from a nomadic tribe seeing a small fire and deciding to leave it unattended. Big mistake, fellas! Luckily, the families were able to use a pumper to extinguish the blaze.

Although the Butlers wanted to leave the valley and return home, their efforts to do so failed every time. But I get the feeling that Katie had it bad for Lok, and didn't care if she stayed there forever. I mean, she accompanied him wherever he went, even when he ORDERED her not to in one episode. They were just friends during the show's run, but maybe there could be a sequel.....

The cave family considered the Butlers strange, since they kept mentioning things from back home like banana splits and Thanksgiving. But what do you expect from Cro Magnons?

The show even became a trivia subject, when a classmate of mine asked,"Who's the father of the cave people?" and another answered, "Gorok."

In early 1976, when I was required to present a science project in order to graduate from grade school, I decided my subject should be about an artesian well. That decision was inspired by, you guessed it, an episode of "Valley Of The Dinosaurs." And, yes, I did get a good grade for it.


Meanwhile, on ABC, that same year, HB introduced the live-action show "Korg: 70,000 B.C." Unlike the animated prehistoric series, this show strove to portray prehistoric man accurately. There were no dinosaurs in sight, and the tribe did all they could to survive in that era. I remember seeing one episode in which Korg's family witnessed an eclipse, and acted like it was Armageddon or something. The wife screaming, "Korg! Help!" reverberates in my mind to this very day. Too bad the show was cancelled in 1975.

Trivia Question 59: True or False. Greg and Tana disguised themselves as a saber-toothed tiger to save Glump from a pack of wolves.

Answer: True.