Slimed!: An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age (34 page)

RACHEL SWEET
sung and wrote the theme song to
Clarissa Explains It All
along with producer Anthony Battaglia. Her widely diverse oeuvre includes an early career as a pop singer and acting in her own show—
The Sweet Life
—along with guest spots in
The Critic
and
Seinfeld
. She’s also produced and written for such series as
Dharma & Greg
and
George Lopez
.

CHUCK SWENSON
was the Creative Producer on
Rugrats
who helped to establish the look and tone of the show along with Gabor Csupo, Peter Chung, and other directors.

ARON TAGER
played recurring villain Dr. Vink on
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
He also performed as Zeebo the Clown in the episode “The Tale of Laughing in the Dark.” In addition to having appeared in numerous television series and films, he works in theater and the fine arts.

DANNY TAMBERELLI
played Little Pete on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
. He performs with the band Jounce in addition to his comedy troupe ManBoobs Comedy. Add. Credits Incl.:
All That
and
Figure It Out
.

BYRON TAYLOR
was the in-house set/production designer at Nickelodeon. His designs were used for almost every show over the years, including
Double Dare
,
Clarissa Explains It All
,
Roundhouse
,
Nick Arcade
,
GUTS,
and
Kenan & Kel
.

CHRISTINE TAYLOR
played Melody Hanson on
Hey Dude
. Thereafter, she skyrocketed with such credits as Marcia Brady in
The Brady Bunch
movies and—with husband Ben Stiller—featured roles in
Zoolander
,
Dodgeball
, and
Tropic Thunder
.

KENAN THOMPSON
was a cast member on
All That
who also starred in
Kenan & Kel
with Kel Mitchell, whom he played against in their film
Good Burger
. Add. Credits Incl.:
The Mighty Ducks
franchise,
Heavy Weights
,
Fat Albert
, and
Saturday Night Live
(series regular).

JACOB TIERNEY
played Midnight Society member Eric on
Are You Afraid of the Dark?

CURT TOUMANIAN
programmed many of the original video games and graphics on
Nick Arcade
.

MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG
played Nona Mecklenberg on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Clarissa Explains It All
,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
,
Mysterious Skin
,
Harriet the Spy
, and
Eurotrip
.

STEVE VIKSTEN
was a writer on
Rugrats
. He also wrote for and cocreated
Hey Arnold!
with fellow
Rugrats
writer Craig Bartlett.

CHUCK VINSON
was a director on
Clarissa Explains It All
. He has a long history of directing award shows and comedy presentations for the likes of Sinbad and Steve Harvey. Add. Credits Incl.:
The Cosby Show
,
Martin
,
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
, and
The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
.

NORTON VIRGIEN
was a director on
Rugrats
who also directed
The Rugrats Movie
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Duckman
.

CHRIS VISCARDI
worked in Nick’s On-Air Promotions Department, where Will McRobb and he helped to develop Nick at Nite before the duo cocreated
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
with Katherine Dieckmann. He wrote and produced a number of the episodes, interstitials, and specials, and later worked with Will McRobb on
Snow Day
.

DAN VITCO
worked closely with Nickelodeon Senior Audio Designer Mark Schultz on the majority of series during this era, composing songs for such shows as
Nick Arcade
and
Clarissa Explains It All
, for which he devised the iconic “Sam chord.”

SCOTT WEBB
“bled orange.” He was Nickelodeon’s first creative director and worked under Debby Beece to run the On-Air Promotions Department after being brought in by Fred/Alan to help rebrand the network. He was a well-respected mentor to many Nick show creators who came out of the promo department, and possibly embodied the “kidlike” spirit of Nick better than any other network executive.

ADAM WEISSMAN
began his extensive TV directing career on
Welcome Freshmen
. Add. Credits Incl.:
The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
,
All That
,
Hannah Montana
, and
iCarly
.

BILLY WEST
voiced such characters on
Doug
as Doug Funnie and Roger Klotz. He concurrently voiced Stimpy and—after show creator John Kricfalusi was fired—Ren, along with other characters, on
The Ren & Stimpy Show
. In addition to having worked on
The Howard Stern Show
and on
Futurama
as such characters as Fry, he has voiced innumerable characters over the years, including those that had originally been performed by the late Mel Blanc, to whom he is often compared as a living paragon.

BILL WRAY
was involved with the earliest development of
The Ren & Stimpy Show
and later headed the background painting division during series production. As with many of the other creatives on that show, he also worked in a multitude of additional areas.

GRAHAM YOST
was a writer on
Hey Dude
who would go on to become successful in both television and film with such projects as
Justified
and
Speed
.

DAMIAN YOUNG
played recurring role Bus Driver Stu Benedict on
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Californication
.

JEFF ZAHN
was the Music Supervisor on
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
who originally composed the theme song to the show, which was performed by Jeff Fisher. Add. Credits Incl.:
Arthur
(animation series).

RAYMOND ZIBACH
was a background painter on
The Ren & Stimpy Show
. Add. Credits Incl.:
Rocko’s Modern Life
and the
Kung Fu Panda
franchise.

JASON ZIMBLER
played Ferguson Darling on
Clarissa Explains It All
.

The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. To find the corresponding locations in the text of this digital version, please use the “search” function on your e-reader. Note that not all terms may be searchable.The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. To find the corresponding locations in the text of this digital version, please use the “search” function on your e-reader. Note that not all terms may be searchable.

Adler, Charlie, 77, 216, 263

Adventures of Pete & Pete, The,
1, 5, 6, 8, 16, 31–33, 39, 43, 47, 49, 78, 82–84, 90, 92, 106, 115, 117–19, 122–23, 139, 141, 198, 199, 227, 235–36, 243, 245, 265, 268–71, 273, 274, 277–80, 283–87

diversity and, 146–47, 151, 152

“King of the Road,” 116

opening sequence of, 126–28

“Range Boy,” 115

“What We Did on Our Summer Vacation,” 3

“Yellow Fever,” 192

Ahlbum, Joey, 89, 263

Alisharan, Jason, 148, 193, 243, 263

All That,
5, 207, 208, 222, 272, 285

Alton, Ed, 134, 136, 143, 263

Ansolabehere, Joe, 110, 184, 185, 194, 208–9, 211–16, 263

Are You Afraid of the Dark?,
4, 9, 34, 65, 79, 83, 116, 132, 192–93, 195, 204, 239, 263, 268–70, 273, 277, 279, 280, 285, 287

diversity and, 147, 148, 157, 158, 163

“The Tale of the Mystical Mirror,” 78–79

“The Tale of the Super Specs,” 26, 107

theme to, 133–34

Bagwell, Ross, Jr., 95, 274

Bagwell, Ross, Sr., 116

Baily, Kirk, 18, 25, 27, 30, 79, 189, 198, 264

Baker, Howard, 68, 110, 162, 171, 172, 215, 244, 264

Baldwin, Peter, 40

Ballantine, Jim, 170, 171, 173, 175, 177, 178, 264

Bamberger, Andy, 60, 67, 103, 125, 203, 221–23, 228, 264

Bartell, Tim, 97, 102–3, 264

Bartlett, Craig, 68, 108, 110, 132, 161, 185, 194, 213–16, 223, 264, 286

Battaglia, Anthony, 134, 284

Beck, Jerry, 224, 264–65

Beece, Debby, 37, 39, 67, 91, 95, 123, 124, 146, 229, 237, 249, 265, 286

Bell, Michael, 77, 150, 154, 155, 212, 265

Benson, Howard, 208

Berwick, Megan, 7, 10, 11, 19–21, 26, 40, 49–50, 265

Bethea, James, 79, 97–98, 103, 104, 143, 150, 164, 241, 265, 278

Binkley, John, 46, 80–81, 265

Black, Bob, 14, 15, 17–18, 36, 48–49, 54, 58, 83, 265

Blanc, Mel, 287

Blanchard, Rachel, 204

Blechman, R. O., 114

Bonet, Lisa, 44

Bower, Michael, 10, 11, 18–20, 25, 27, 39–41, 51, 74, 136–38, 189, 198, 202, 246, 265

Brisbin, Dave, 71, 74, 189

Brown, Kelly, 70, 74, 95, 96, 156, 204, 205, 265

Bryant, Janie, 118, 119, 265

Budnick, Bobby, 40–41

Buzzi, Ruth, 58

Calderwood, Dana, 69, 73, 93, 96–97, 104, 188, 196, 200, 220, 230, 265

Cammy, Justin, 3, 4, 28, 29–31, 45, 49, 53, 54, 56, 57, 59, 107, 119, 153, 154, 158, 240, 265

Camp, Bob, 70, 76, 167, 170, 173, 174, 177–81, 264, 266

Campbell, David, 152, 153, 183, 184, 186, 232–33, 266, 271

Carpenter, John, 284

Cavanaugh, Christine, 198

Chaino, 135

challenges, 167–218

Chartoff, Melanie, 32, 66–67, 76, 77, 109, 138, 154, 155, 161, 194, 209, 266

Chase, Cheryl, 162, 169, 175–76, 209, 210, 214, 266

Chung, Peter, 108–12, 216, 217, 266, 284

Clampett, Bob, 113

Clapton, Eric, 194

Clarissa Explains It All,
1, 5, 17, 32, 36–37, 43–44, 51, 64, 72, 99–101, 104–5, 121–22, 166, 185, 192, 198, 201, 221, 227, 233–34, 237, 238, 242, 245, 247–50, 266, 269–72, 274–76, 279, 280, 282, 285–87

diversity and, 146, 157, 160

laugh track on, 142

theme song for, 129, 134, 244, 284

Cleghorn, Ellen, 152

Coffey, Vanessa, 69–70, 75, 81, 108, 109, 162, 168–70, 172–78, 181, 183, 186, 210–12, 219, 231, 266, 271, 283

Collins, Suzanne, 72

Condon, Sarah, 26, 38, 43, 105, 121, 135, 166, 266

Conte, Courtney, 115–17, 137, 159, 189, 190, 202–3, 239, 267

Cooksey, Danny, 5, 11, 20, 21, 40, 74, 251, 267

Corey, Tom, 88

Coulier, Dave, 239, 267

Crane, John, 23, 42, 78, 119, 153, 207, 208, 249, 267

Crosby, David, 136

Cruise, Tom, 86

Crystal, Billy, 61

Crystal, Richard, 61

Csupo, Gabor, 70, 108, 131–33, 209, 211, 212, 214–17, 267, 270, 284

Daily, E. G. (Elizabeth), 66, 214, 248, 267

Danzo, Christine, 135, 162, 176, 218, 267

Darby, Geoffrey, 11, 12, 13, 37, 38, 54–61, 66, 67, 69–71, 84, 88, 91, 94, 95, 100, 101, 107, 116, 123, 142, 154, 165, 166, 174, 178–79, 181, 187, 188, 203, 204, 209, 215, 216, 237–38, 240, 251, 267–68, 277, 280

David, Mark, 42

Daywalt-Lutz, Shawn, 22–24, 42, 206, 268

DeMilo, Venus, 11, 21, 24, 27, 42, 62, 75, 117, 136–37, 160, 239, 268

design, fashion, and technology, 87–125

Dezaki, Osamu, 108

Dieckmann, Katherine, 32, 88, 106, 115, 127, 139, 165, 241, 245, 268, 273, 278, 286

diversity, 145–66

Double Dare,
xi, xii, xiii, 60–63, 77, 82, 92–97, 104, 122, 139, 187–88, 193, 195–97, 201, 203, 228, 230, 234, 235, 240, 242–43, 248–49, 264, 265, 271, 274, 275, 278, 281–85

Doug,
72, 77, 114, 168, 173, 182–87, 232–33, 251, 266, 268, 271, 273–77, 279–84, 287

diversity and, 152–53, 158

show opening and music on, 130, 138, 140

Douglas, Tim, 55–56

Dudynsky, ivan, 42

Dumont, Richard M., 26, 79, 245, 268

Duran, Micki, 23, 42, 268

Dutton, Charles S., 83, 116, 147, 268

Eastman, Phil, 268–69

Eastman, Tony, 114, 140, 268–69

Eastwood, Clint, 210

Ellis, David, 37, 92, 99, 101, 269

Evelyn, George, 88, 89, 235, 269

Eyster, Trevor (Tim), 7, 10, 11, 19–21, 24, 27, 136, 189, 202, 246, 247, 250, 269

Fabi, Ray, 133

Fallon, Joe, 233

Fanelli, Alison, 2, 3, 6, 8, 15, 39, 43, 46–47, 49, 74, 117, 122, 139, 141, 164–65, 192, 198, 238, 241, 243, 269

fashion, design, and technology, 87–125

Fenhagen, Jim, 93, 94

Fifteen,
265

Fisher, Jeff, 35, 133–34, 269, 287

Fitzgerald, Eddie, 70, 114, 162–63, 172, 173, 176–77, 179, 180, 217, 269

Fleischer, Charles, 229

Fontanelli, Mike, 170, 176–78, 180, 269

Galloway, Rick, 8, 21–22, 24, 48, 240, 269

Galt, John, 98–99

Garcia, JoAnna, 4, 34, 52, 63, 193, 247, 270

Garofalo, Janeane, 82–83, 270

Gaynes, Jessica, 3, 14, 151, 270

Gerbner, George, 60

Germain, Paul, 84, 110–12, 132, 133, 150, 155, 161, 184, 185, 194, 209, 211–17, 263, 270

Gibson, Mel, 230

Gifford, Chris, 72

Gillis, Alasdair, 2, 10, 13–15, 17, 24–25, 28, 29, 42, 47–48, 53, 54, 58, 149, 247, 270

Gomez, Jim, 33, 113–14, 118, 151, 243, 245, 270

Gomez, Rick, 82, 270

Gooding, Cuba, Jr., 270

Gooding, Omar, 10, 14, 24, 63, 147, 270

Goodman, Alan, 16, 29, 64, 69, 72, 74, 77, 85–86, 87, 89, 91–92, 104–5, 129–30, 147, 189, 219, 227–28, 237, 271, 282

Gowers, Bruce, 74, 104, 271, 272

Grafe, Judy, 1–2, 5, 31, 146, 271

Green, Seymour, 151, 153, 271

green slime, 39, 53–86, 100, 187–88, 219

Grisanti, Melanie, 140, 266, 271

GUTS,
95, 102–3, 234, 264, 272, 285

Hagyard, Abby, 10, 13, 28–31, 56, 64, 107, 154, 158, 159, 195, 201, 234, 240, 271

Hannigan, Denis, 131–33, 161, 271, 278

Harrington, Mary, 66, 75, 111, 172, 176–80, 184, 185, 194, 209–10, 215, 271, 283

Hart, Melissa Joan, 1, 5, 8, 11, 16–17, 35, 36, 38, 42–45, 121–22, 166, 192, 201, 233, 242, 245, 271

Harvey (John Harvey), 60, 62, 73, 77–78, 93, 94, 104, 124–25, 187, 197, 199, 201, 234, 271, 281

Hauser, Gus, 145, 252, 272

Hay, Carole, 13, 28, 36

Hecht, Albie, 57, 86, 93, 103, 206, 207, 223–25, 228–30, 235, 236, 272

Herbert, Don (Mr. Wizard), 242, 279

Hess, Elizabeth, 1, 16, 31, 32, 36, 37, 44, 64, 142, 157, 238, 249–50, 272

Hester, Benny, 81, 136, 205–8, 272, 282

Hester, Rita, 30, 80, 151, 205–8, 272, 282

Hey Arnold!,
68, 264, 286

Hey Dude,
7, 29, 70, 74, 95, 116, 141, 142, 187, 188, 204, 238–41, 265, 271, 274, 275, 278, 285, 287

diversity and, 155–56, 163

Hill, Tom, 283

Hilton, Paris, 241

Houston, Whitney, 230

Hughes, Bob, 63–64, 239, 272

Hull, Ross, 9, 34, 122, 158, 239, 273

Huss, Toby, 16, 31, 47, 84, 122, 147, 256, 273

Inwood, John, 115, 123, 273, 283

Jackson, Michael, 205

Jaques, Bob, 169, 273

Jeffcoat, Donnie, 10, 63, 95, 151, 197–98, 273

Jinkins, Jim, 70, 114, 130, 138, 152, 158, 182, 184, 186, 232, 233, 266, 271, 273

Johansen, David, 16, 273

Johnson, Ollie, 109

Jones, James Earl, 86

Kalehoff, Edd, 131, 274

Kaplan, Yvette, 114, 274

Katzenberg, Jeffrey, 230

Kavanaugh, Sandy, 248, 265, 274

Kawajiri, Yoshiaki, 108

Keller, Fred, 11, 36, 41, 70, 95, 96, 116, 141, 156–57, 204, 238–39, 274

Kelly, Jack, 136

Klasky, Arlene, 69–70, 73, 75, 108, 194, 209–17, 267, 270

Klein, Bob, 85, 272, 274

Klinghoffer, Mike, 30, 60, 63, 67–68, 73, 81, 87, 89, 129, 139, 145, 188, 196, 199, 228, 230, 237, 274

Koch, Chris, 115

Koegel, Michael, 122, 148, 156, 157, 201, 202, 222, 225, 229, 274

Kricfalusi, John, 33–34, 70, 112–14, 134–35, 163, 167–82, 186, 203, 216–18, 235, 251, 266, 270, 275, 278, 280, 287

Kriegman, Mitchell, 11, 16–17, 32, 35–38, 44, 60, 83, 99, 100–101, 105, 112, 121, 134, 135, 164–66, 168, 183–85, 192, 194, 233, 234, 236–37, 242, 252, 275

Kubusheskie, Kevin, 9, 28, 47, 53, 54, 98, 153, 159, 190, 275

LaDuke, Dee, 29–30, 68, 155–56, 187, 220, 275

Lagasse, Tim, 76–77, 192, 202, 222, 275

Lascher, David, 41, 95, 240, 275

Lather, Barry, 80, 276

Lawrence, Sheila, 206, 276

Laybourne, Geraldine (Gerry), xii, 32, 60, 61, 67–69, 76, 80, 81, 85, 94–95, 123, 142, 145, 165–66, 168–70, 181–82, 200, 203, 215, 222–25, 228–31, 252, 268, 274, 276, 281

Lederer, Lisa, 17, 43–44, 100, 101, 105–6, 121, 165, 166, 226, 276

Lesure, Annette, 61–62, 151, 201, 270, 276

Lewis, Crystal, 23, 128, 205, 276

Lewis, Jenny, 282

Lindores, Vanessa, 2, 12, 13, 24, 28, 46, 48, 53, 57, 158, 247, 276

Liolis, Magda, 103

Lish, Becca, 77, 152, 159, 276

Litwack, Wendy, 159, 182, 200, 232, 277

Lively, Andrea, 98, 104, 120, 204–5, 244, 277

Livewire,
220, 279

Lobban, Chris, 8, 21, 48, 191

Lucas, Heidi, 2, 6, 18–21, 26, 27, 39–41, 62, 136, 277

Lucero, Dominic, 205–6, 253

Lye, Les, 13, 30–31, 154, 159, 201

Lynch, Tommy, 164, 225–26, 277

MacArthur, Erik, 35, 137, 189, 191, 277

MacHale, D.J., 4, 26, 34, 35, 65, 134, 148, 192–93, 236, 277

Maronna, Michael, 1–2, 4, 15, 16, 34, 39, 50, 74, 146, 238, 243, 248, 277

Martel, Dave, 8, 9, 118, 277

Mason, Brenda, 9–10, 13, 14, 31, 45–46, 54–56, 59, 141, 277

Maxim,
44–45

McGlade, Christine, 8, 9, 17, 29, 46, 48, 57–59, 108, 158, 201, 240, 243, 277

McHugh, Tom, 232

McLellan, Dan, 141

McNally, Diz, 82, 119, 140, 277

McRobb, Will, 32–34, 65, 84, 90, 92, 106, 118, 126–28, 164–65, 168, 171, 173, 174, 181–83, 186–88, 226, 227, 235, 236, 243, 268, 277–78, 286

Melamed, Lisa, 17, 41, 156, 163, 278

Midnight Society, 4

Miller, George, 214

Minton, Thomas, 113, 169, 176, 235, 278

Mitchell, Kel, 285

Miteff, Karim, 103, 104, 150, 164, 204–5, 265, 278

Mittenthal, Bob, 22, 56, 63, 94, 124, 157, 196, 227, 234, 235, 240, 242–43, 249, 278

Moore, Phil, 80, 120, 143, 150, 278

Morris, Josh, 14, 47, 53, 58–59, 107, 278

Morissette, Alanis, 42, 45–46, 48, 51–52

Mothersbaugh, Mark, 131–33, 231, 271, 278

Mulcahy, Mark, 126–28, 143–44, 278–79

Murphy, Joe, 70

music and sound, 126–44

Naylor, Lynne, 162

Newman, Fred, 72, 114, 130, 140–41, 158, 220, 279, 281

Nick Arcade,
95, 97–99, 103, 143, 204, 241, 244, 265, 269, 277, 278, 282, 285, 286

diversity and, 150, 164

Nikosey, Kristen, 119, 279

Nikosey, Tom, 242, 279

Nye, Bill, 242

O’Connor, Joe, 11, 31–32, 35, 44–45, 51, 82, 100, 192, 201, 202, 233, 251, 279

Oleynik, Larisa, 2, 4, 52, 146, 164, 165, 279

Oliver, Ron, 26, 79, 107, 157, 163, 279

O’Malley, Mike, 103, 197

O’Neal, Sean, 5, 11, 35, 37, 38, 39, 42, 44, 132, 160, 191–92, 198, 250, 280

Osome, Brodie, 153

Out of Control,
82, 119, 239, 267, 272, 274, 277, 279, 281, 284

Pekar, Marty, 129

Petrie, Doug, 72

Pitt, Eugene, 129, 130

Pomann, Bob, 183, 280