Thank God for Youtube, because it houses videos from one of my childhood shows, Lamb Chop's Play Along. But little did I know about one of their specials. When I found its Halloween special, I was curious about it. Yeah, I'm talking about Lamb Chop In The Haunted Studio.
Imagine a special that wanted to look like Scooby-Doo, but it had to be live-action and filled with humor more than scares, and the mystery is... well, there's no mystery, because the antagonizing factor obvious. That's this special. It has guest stars, humorous acting, and many clichés associated with Halloween. It's like it wants to take the Halloween genre seriously but be humorous at the same time. This special is very cliché and corny, that you can't help but be nostalgic about it and laugh at it.
So, seeing that this my first review since the name change to the Whatsoever Critic, let's check out the special that makes Halloween a laughing stock... Lamb Chop In The Haunted Studio.
TV Rating Scene:
Lamb Chop: "The following program is rated PG..."
-Wow, I didn't know that this Lamb Chop special was more grown-up than advertised...
Lamb Chop: "'P' is for 'phantoms,' and 'G' is for 'ghosts'..."
-Y'all got creative with the TV rating, haven't you, special?
Lamb Chop: "It's also rated SS for 'Slightly Scary'..."
-(sarcasm) Yeah, we now know what the PG rating is supposed to mean... Was it worth it?
Lamb Chop: "...and FF for 'Family Fun!'..."
-Seriously, were the rating bumpers worth it?
Opening Credits:
As the credits roll, we see that Shari Lewis and her puppets are the stars of the show. We also see our guest stars Alan Thicke as the show's Dracula, John Byner as the show's Dr. Frankenstein, co-starring Doug Cameron as the studio owner Mr. Wimperdink... and special guest star Jan Rubes as the main antagonist of the special- The Phantom!
-Who are these guys, you may ask? Well, when we get to them in a minute, I'll research them and find out some movie trivia about them...
Opening Scene:
The special opens with Shari telling Charlie Horse to be extra nice to his sister Lamb Chop, because they're going to the studio to rehearse for their Halloween special... and knowing Lamb Chop, she's scared of Halloween. And while Charlie Horse could care less about his sister, Lamb Chop seems defiant to go to the studio... even Charlie Horse finds it a chore to pull her out of the comfort of under her bed... for some apparent reason...
Lamb Chop continues to be defiant to go to the studio. But gee... why doesn't she want to go?
Lamb Chop: "Because the Phantom lives there!"
-(pause) Really? Just like that? Phantom? You're not gonna give us any clues or build-ups towards this antagonizing force whatsoever? Okay then... But hey, there may be a man-eating werewolf that nobody knows about yet... or a Loch Ness monster wreaking havoc in the studio without anyone knowing... Those would've been better pay-offs for this special!
Charlie Horse: "That's just a rumor!"
Lamb Chop: "(gasp) You see? The phantom has a room in that studio!"
-Uh... was that supposed to be a joke or something? More like a pun...
So Shari explains that phantoms aren't real and tries to get Lamb Chop to go to the Old Sunshine Studios with everyone else, and even telling her that her two favorite actors Alan Thicke and John Byner are gonna be there; but the convincing comes to no avail.
Studio Scene:
At Old Sunshine Studios, we're introduced to our main villain, The Phantom, played by Jan Rubes.
-By the way, who is this guy? (researching) Some of you may remember him from One Magic Christmas (1985) and D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994). Probably? IDK.
Anyway, the Phantom learns (out of thin air) that Shari Lewis and all the other actors are coming to the studio. So he plans on...
-Wait, he doesn't explain his evil deeds yet... Really? Do we have to wait for it? Are you kidding me?
Dressing Room:
We then get a shot of Alan Thicke, who's going to play Dracula for tonight's performance.
-Now, as promised, I'll find out who this guy is... (researching) Okay, he was the father from Growing Pains, the baseball announcer from Casper Meets Wendy (1998), and... wow. He's no strange to the Lamb Chop specials... like Lamb Chop's Special Chanukah (1995) and Shari's Passover Surprise (1996). That's pretty cool, actually.
Anyway, Alan is preparing for his performance, when he gets checked on by the studio owner Mr. Wimperdink, who loves spending more time expressing his gratitude in having actors in his "humble" place rather than pissing off to let them prepare for rehearsal.
Alan: "This isn't humble... It's crumby."
-Geez! Lighten up!
Mr. Wimperdink throws his flattery at the actor, but Alan is creeped out by this happy pansy.
-By the way, Wimperdink is played by Doug Cameron... Couldn't find any bio about this guy, 'cuz there are three different Doug Camerons in the Wikipedia world...
Back at Home:
We cut back to Lamb Chop and the gang, singing a song to get Lamb Chop to come to the studio with them. Yeah, the gang goes from bribing Lamb Chop with a toy, to Charlie Horse letting her play on his baseball team, to threatening to leave her home alone... So which one would you think that she'll fall for? Leaving her home alone, of course! And luckily, for the plot, she reluctantly goes.
-Well, that didn't take long... Oh wait, it did! Because of that 2-minute musical number!
Back at the Dressing Room:
We cut back to Mr. Wimperdink still flattering Alan Thicke...
-Dude, lay off on the actor. Otherwise, he won't be ready for the show!
Mr. Wimperdink: "Well, I must be off, welcoming the other actors..."
-Oh thank God!
Alan Thicke: "Well, he's weird..."
-Um, my thoughts exactly, Mr. Thicke.
While that's happening, we see our Phantom spy on Alan Thicke, while petting his cat... which is an obvious villain cliché- having a pet sidekick. Here, he finally reveals his plot to take over the studio.
-About friggin' time...
The Phantom wants revenge on the studio for not letting him play neither Dracula nor Frankenstein; so he'll show them all by his "mastery" of disguises and his perfect imitation of people's voices... and strike fear into people's hearts, and...
Phantom: "Don't worry, Bella. I won't hurt them. It's all just for fun!"
-Wow, a villain that doesn't plan on killing anybody? Imagine Jan Rubes playing a psychopath that killed the whole cast: but how would that be possible if puppets don't have any blood to be spilled?
Other Dressing Room:
We then cut to John Byner, who's going to play Dr. Frankenstein in the show.
Mr. Wimperdink: (flattery) "That was bloodcurdling!"
-OMG! Will you piss off, Wimperdink, and let these actors get ready for rehearsal?! I mean, sure. You have to check on them for security reasons, but don't flatter them to death!!
John Byner: "I'm not used to doing this. I'm used to comedy..."
-(researching) He's right. He's responsible for his voice work from the series The Ant and the Aardvark and for some of The Pink Panther shows.
Anyway, John Byner tells Wimperdink that scary stuff is out of his league, but reluctantly agrees.
Wimperdink: "Well... I'll leave you to your devices..."
-Yes, leave!!!
So after Mr. Wimperdink finally gets going, we get another song: only this time, Alan and John sing a duet about how they'll have to adapt to their new roles even though they will be challenging.
-Well, you can't really blame them, because of their bios. So can you really blame them?
-And I have to admit, this was a really good combo, putting both Alan Thicke and John Byner in a musical number together.
But that's nothing, because the Phantom makes an appearance; Wimperdink is none-the-wiser about the Phantom; and the Phantom locks Alan in his dressing room and leaves with his vampire costume.
-Wait, if the Phantom locked Alan in his dressing room, then why doesn't he lock John Byner in his room? That's really bad if you're plotting to take over the studio with only one person trapped, while everyone else is okay.
-And besides, seeing the Phantom's phantom costume now, he looks more like Zorro than an actual phantom. The costume from The Phantom of the Opera would've been more convincing...
Studio Entrance Scene:
So Shari and her puppet friends arrive. But then we get some action!... When... Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse have fun with the stair rails...
-Neat.
Hush Puppy: "Hey Charlie Horse! Wasn't that fun?"
Charlie Horse: "Yes, especially if you like pain..."
-Um, the Phantom does know that y'all are here, right? The slap-stick attempt was a dead giveaway.
Anyway, the gang gets together and... Do some echoes in this dark, gloomy place, of course!
Hush Puppy: "This is my first echo, and I want to make sure that I get it right."
-(mimicking Hush Puppy) Yeah, the dark, depressing stuff, and the things that go bump in the night in this studio can be dealt with later. Let's do some annoying stuff like making echoes!
Shari Lewis: "What do you think of the studio?"
Hush Puppy: "This place is a dump!"
-Finally! The voice of reason! Know why? Look at the place! It's all cluttered and full of furniture. I mean, what if the Phantom showed up, and there was little space to run from him? Then what?
Charlie Horse: "No, no, no, no. First, it needs a fresh coat of paint. Then, it'll be a dump."
-Okay, since when did this special become a show that's judges creepy places?
Shari tells the kids that they must use their imaginations to make the studio less creepy... and less critical, which leads into yet another song.
So Shari sings about make-believing things so that the place that they're in would more appealing.
-I also gotta admit that this song is awesome. In fact, she dances, sings, and plays make-believe.
-Plus, the make-believing in this musical number is very creative. I wish the rest of the special was like this. To hell with the Halloween genre that it's trying to attempt here...
-And again... The Phantom and his mischief can be dealt with later. We got a cool skeleton that we can dance with!
And a broom to mess around with!
And a blanket to make silly impressions in!
And what a surprise. This musical number has a "The End" credit, really?
But the Phantom doesn't seem to like the "The End" credit, because he tinkers with the lighting, scaring the living shit out of Lamb Chop.
Just then... (sigh) Mr. Wimperdink shows up...
-Well, to be fair, he has to show Shari to her room and stuff... and get her on the welcome-wagon.
Mr. Wimperdink: "...Hubbert Wimperdink..."
Charlie Horse: "Is he for real?"
-Yeah. That would be the first thing that's comes to mind whenever I hear such a funny name...
Anyway, Lamb Chop expresses her fear of the Phantom, but Mr. Wimperdink assures her that the only person here is the janitor who everyone thought wasn't a successful actor.
-Starting to see a connection between the Phantom and the janitor that's being mentioned here?
We then see Hush Puppy needing to go to the bathroom, so Mr. Wimperdink gives them some really good directions on how to get there:
Mr. Wimperdink: "Easy."
-Okay, I'm pretty sure the restroom is just a couple of steps away...
Mr: Wimperdink: "...down the hall, around the bend, up the stairs, through the arch, past the kitchen, across the store room... second floor to the left."
-(pause) What is this, a maze? Those directions are hard to remember, unless it's repeated several times, and someone is taking good notes!!!
Charlie Horse: "We're gonna need cab fare."
-My thoughts exactly...
Back in Alan Thicke's Room:
Alan is preparing for his Dracula role, until he realizes that he's locked in his room.
-Eh...
Hallway:
We see Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse still searching for the bathroom, when in actuality... it looks like they have a studio to tour...
Hush Puppy: "Where do you think we are?"
Charlie Horse: "South America is my guess..."
-(sarcasm) Riveting...
Hush Puppy: "What was it? Was it the right of the stairs and left of the portrait, or right of the kitchen and left of the chandelier? Which one was it, left or right?"
-Which one did you want us to answer first, where y'all are, or what the directions were?
-Plus, do you see the painting on the wall doing scary stuff, while the characters are just rambling and being lost? It's like they're trying to get the two to notice them.
(a painting points to the left in front of Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse)
Hush Puppy: "Oh, thank you very much.
Turning and walking away)
Hee, you know, if there's one thing..."
-Yes, Charlie Horse is seeing all the weird stuff, and not Hush Puppy.
-Plus, I want to focus more on the creepiness of the premise, but I'm too busy checking out how the puppeteers got these two to walk without Shari. You can see Charlie Horse's feet in one take. And plus, only Hush Puppy's arms are moving back and forth, while Charlie Horse seems like he's floating... How much lazier can these puppeteers get?!
Phantom Strikes Again:
We see the Phantom disguise himself as Dracula, kidnapping Charlie Horse in the process. You'd think Charlie Horse would be in fear, right? Nope. Instead, he cracks one-liners at the Phantom:
Charlie Horse: "(mimicking the Phantom)...the world's most-distinguished vwam-pire!"
"Low-cost housing?" (in response to Phantom's coffin)
Oh, and guess how Charlie Horse escapes the Phantom! He tricks the Phantom into getting back into his coffin to prove his vampire-ness, and shuts the door on him...
-(pause) Weak!
Back downstairs:
...
Okay, so if you haven't realized it yet... this special has so much filler in it. So, perhaps it's not riveting to hear about the "really juicy" stuff like...
1. Lamb Chop and Shari getting into an argument on what they just said to each other...
2. Giving each other a better understanding of what they just said...
3. Cutting to John Byner being locked in his room by the Phantom...
-Wait. John Byner is locked in his room? What scene was that? We never saw that! We only saw the Phantom lock up Alan Thicke's room.
Phantom's Encounter with Hush Puppy:
Hush Puppy is by himself, as he stumbles into a room where the Phantom is waiting for him... in John Byner's Frankenstein costume...
-We never saw the Phantom steal that costume either...
So the Phantom-Frankenstein has Hush Puppy sit down in a chair, so that he can carry out his diabolical plan of... switching Hush Puppy's brain with the Frankenstein monster that's on the examination table (or wall).
Hush Puppy: "This is some high-tech toilet!"
-So naïve...
So, you'd think the Phantom would defeat Hush Puppy in this scene, right? Wrong! Hush Puppy escapes in the most logical way possible: he hands over the metal helmet to the Phantom, pulls the lever, and shocks the flesh of the feeble old man!
-(pause) Weaker than Charlie Horse's escape...
Shari's Dressing Room:
Meanwhile, Shari is putting on her witch costume, while Lamb Chop is still acting scared.
Lamb Chop: "Shari, are you listening to me?"
-Oh, you mean listening to you bitch about the Phantom? Nah, brushing my long wig seems more interesting to focus on...
So, as you can imagine, Lamb Chop starts to suspect that Mr. Wimperdink may be the Phantom...
-Uh, no, Lamb Chop. Making this special seem like a Scooby-Doo spoof was out of the question a few scenes ago. So don't act like y'all are still trying, because you're not!
We then see the Phantom play Peeping-Tom by looking into Shari's dressing room...
-Seriously, is the Phantom a pervert?
Anyway, he plans to disguise himself as a witch and to make his voice sound like Shari's...
-How the flying fuck will that process work?
Anyway, Shari lets Lamb Chop sleep in the room during rehearsal, and she's so kind as to...
1. Dim the lights
2. Lock the door behind her
3. Leave Lamb Chop with the Phantom who's... now in the room for some reason.
So the Phantom wakes up Lamb Chop; and of course, this scares the living shit out of her.
The Phantom: "You are like all the others. You are a coward."
-Geez! This guy is a bunghole! Calling Lamb Chop names and purposely scaring her! What a dick!
This gets Lamb Chop angry and causes her to rebel, and even questioning the Phantom's resemblance to a "real" Phantom. But this causes Lamb Chop to bump into things and hurt herself, which Phantom reacts in... a sympathetic way(?)
Phantom: "Oh my goodness! I didn't mean to hurt you!"
-Oh, that's right. When you were telling your cat earlier about not wanting to hurt people but scare them... I totally forgot about that.
So Lamb Chop finally musters up the courage to ask Phantom why he likes scaring people.
Phantom: "That's because I think I'm good at it."
-Yeah, as proven in the many scenes where... you locked people into their rooms; kidnap people to meet you; and sneak into people's rooms to scare them to death... Yep, you're qualified.
Hallway:
While that's going out, Shari and Mr. Wimperdink finally unlock Alan Thicke and John Byner out of their rooms. They finally meet Charlie Horse when he hints out that somebody else was disguised as Dracula earlier, leading everyone to investigate Shari's dressing room.
Back in Shari's Dressing Room:
Shari bursts into the room only to find Phantom reading a children's book to Lamb Chop.
-Yeah, walking in to see a grown strange man reading a book to your child is a red flag...
Back down stairs:
Here's a fun question: What's more annoying than having a villain that doesn't want to hurt people, yet causes havoc in the spirit of Halloween and acting? Having a reason why the villain doesn't want to hurt people yet causing havoc in the spirit of Halloween and acting. Yeah, this special gives Phantom a backstory of how his family didn't care for him, and how he was friendless and picked on as a kid for being "ugly." But wait! There's more! He sings about his family not caring about him, and being friendless and picked on as a kid for being "ugly," and how he decided to turn to acting and scaring people.
-Come on! Jan Rubes' character is weird enough! We don't need anymore reasons why to say that his character in this special is weird!
Anyway, Shari's puppets are back together... for some reason...
-(Plot hole) How did Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse make it back to Shari, if they saw the Phantom?
Shari then gets a letter from both Alan Thicke and John Byner that they decided to go home, because their Halloween roles didn't suit them.
-That seems like a legit excuse.
So, Shari and the others blow that off, and finally rehearse for the Halloween show... and letting Phantom join them in their festivities.
-Wow, the Shari Lewis gang weren't that forgiving when Lloyd Bochner's character wanted to scare them out of the Charlie Horse Music Pizza place...
So, how does the special end? Well... I don't know. The rest of the special is just filler, with some of the characters telling jokes and saying stuff.
-It's just filler.
-Yeah, the special just stops, showing a slide show of some of the screenshots of the special. Uh... can we get the "The End" credit blanket from earlier back?
Thanks.
And that was Lamb Chop in the Haunted Studio, or as I like to call it: a fatal attempt of spoofing Scooby-Doo... or, the non-legitimate Halloween special.
Nothing about this special seems Halloween-worthy; all they did was give us a "spooky" premise and have us pretend that this was a Scooby-Doo knock-off.
Some of the human actors (except Shari Lewis) were unlikable from beginning to end. You can blame Jan Rubes for that, because his character was just odd the whole time, and he couldn't keep his mean-spirited demeanor for the whole special- and plus, I got the feeling that he made up his "evil plots to take over the studio" as he went, which is rarely a good thing if you're a villain that has a goal in mind; it's like pick-and-choose what you want to go after and that's it!
Also, some of the plot made no sense, because there are so many little yet noticeable things that were never explained. Some of the special was just filler, and come to think of it... it was mostly vague. Yeah, I didn't show you half of the fillers that were in this specials. (There were plenty; trust me).
What's worse is that they throw in some whimsical bullshit where we're supposed to feel sorry for the bad guy, because of his lonely and unrewarding past. Seriously, guys? Why would I want to sympathize with the Phantom, after seeing him doing mischievous, villainous stuff, and just being an oddball the entire time?
Well, not to be harsh on this special... They did have some good jokes here and there to keep the story and premise interesting. They did put some effort in the writing and acting. And to be honest, I'm glad I saw this special, but I don't think that it's a legit Halloween special.
Whatsoever Critic
Source: Lamb Chop in the Haunted Studio
All rights go to Shari Lewis.
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