By the Way- Ultra-rare/lost Nickelodeon show from 1979, Intro & Host Segments

[@codyssmith73]

This is more than just rare, this show was lost.... and now it's found. Thank you.

[@tvguy1979]

Never thought this would be found either!

[@benjaminvlz]

Cody Smith This video recording of "By the Way" was just sitting in someone's collection all these years, so the show technically wasn't "lost." The word "lost" would imply that footage of the show is lost forever and can never be seen again. It's possible that Nickelodeon has had episodes of this show sitting their archives the entire time, and we just hadn't seen any footage of it until this recording was uploaded to KZbin because Nick hadn't aired the show since 1980.

[@404UsernameNotFoundX]

@@benjaminvlz it doesnt imply all the time. it can be lost for a short time until its found. Or it is lost and lost forever. It is different the way you phrase it.

[@yournamegoeshere7584]

@@tvguy1979 where was this found, in your grandmas VHS recordings? Lol I came up with that because thats what my grandma did. She recorded old episodes of shows like Dangermouse and By The Way. I wanted to rip BTW, but I don't know how to rip VHS recordings. And even if I could, I only have a VCR, and not a computor

[@Spingbing123]

@@yournamegoeshere7584 You have episodes of it?

[@TORLBC]

Random fun fact: two of these folks in the credits got to have a major hand in 90s culture. The writer co-wrote the screenplay for The Lion King; the graphic designer created Nickelodeon classic Doug. Iconic stuff here.

[@tvguy1979]

Good eye!

[@stingsAUTTP]

Jim also did a part in their official innaugural show “Pinwheel”

[@NJ_Dsneybuf]

The way Josie exclaims, "It's here!" after catching the football parallels my amazement at you finding and sharing these clips.

[@benjaminvlz]

"By the Way" was long before my time, but nonetheless, it's cool to see this rare recording of one of Nickelodeon's inaugural programs. We have have footage of "Pinwheel," "Video Comics," "Columbus/America Goes Bananaz" and now "By the Way." Now we just need to find a recording of "Nickel Flicks."

[@JasonDelarosa2000]

Columbus, OH is the birthplace of Nickelodeon.

[@Sabrina79]

I was born in 79 and watched Nickelodeon from around 82 on. This is so cool to see! How awesome that this footage is still around. 😎👍

[@IminmyMLGera]

The best starts in 1984

[@jeffharrisTXB]

Always nice seeing shows from a network's early years pop up, especially stuff that is almost long forgotten like By The Way here.

[@tvguy1979]

Yup, I doubt anyone besides the cast and crew of this show remember it.

[@morbidsearch]

Josie is the human embodiment of "you're not really fine but you can't get into it cause they'd never understand"

[@jasonwolfe9623]

Wow!!!! Amazing find!!!! My uncle got cable in early 1979 and i can remember watching nick vaguely at that time. I lived outside Columbus at that time and the cable system that carried nick was new as well. I remember America goes bananas which i really liked and watched quite often. Unfortunately my family didn't get a VCR until 1981 so i don't have or know anyone with any footage. It would be a gem for sure!!!! Needless to say im glad this footage exists and while i do vaguely remember this shows existence it left such a little impression im not surprised no one in 79 remembers it. Here's to more footage in the future!!!

[@tvguy1979]

Any other memories of Nick from this time period? They did not have commercials and shared channel space with a channel called Star Channel

[@jasonwolfe9623]

Yes, I do remember that after the days programming was done the star channel came on with the sound of a few beeps. That was probably the satellite changing position I later found out. I also remember hocus focus vaguely as well. It was an overall better show than by the way but still the same premise or idea. This show seems to be a dry run for the ideas hocus focus later did more successfully.

[@tvguy1979]

Thanks! Any memories of the branding from this period? I believe it was just the Mime whenever there wasn’t any programming

[@jasonwolfe9623]

Yeah, I believe so. But once in awhile the other promo with the kid in black and white would be shown as well. I think the mime promo showed more often than the other one.

[@stephenholloway6893]

Of the Josie segments probably the best ones were the football, fetch, and fishing ones. But with that said, at least we now have footage of By The Way. Hopefully this will lead to more Nickelodeon shows that were once lost will eventually be found. Plus more lost media throughout the years. Plus it's amazing that a nearly 40 year video recording of this series even exists.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Yeah the writing isn't too bad, but certainly not brilliant for what they had to go with. The one with the binoculars just kinda made me giggle at thinking how easy that joke is to make for any kid.

[@poparena]

This is great!

[@tvguy1979]

Yeah, I would have NEVER thought any footage of this show would be found. Although it appears that the show was produced with virtually no money, the acting and writing are clever. Overall, a brave effort for Nick in '79.

[@poparena]

@@tvguy1979 This is so cool! Do you happen to know what shorts aired in this episode? I'd love to get an idea what they were showing.

[@tvguy1979]

@@poparena Unfortunately, I can't identify the shorts which aired in this episode. The only clues seem to be the ones which are contained in the show's intro, which probably could be identified.

[@tvguy1979]

@@poparena Found the animated short with the dancing frog and mouse; it's called Froggie Went a Courtin' (1977), by animator Frank Gladstone. kzbin.info/www/bejne/emWokp5_r9ZrkKM

[@tvguy1979]

@@poparena I've also found an interview done with Joseph Iozzi, who named Nickelodeon and created the channel's first logo, here at (classic-nickelodeon-fan-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/interview-with-joseph-iozzi.html), and learned some more information on the early Nickelodeon mime.

[@zanderbricks8701]

You're amazing for finding this. I get that this isn't my Era of Pinwheel/Nickelodeon, but lost media of any kind is just amazing to find.

[@ChuckD79]

Great to find footage of this once-lost early Nickelodeon series...very catchy theme song, too!

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

I get the impression the short that precedes that last clip probably dealt with showing such a machine that wrote thank you notes or whatever, assuming that's what Josie was referring to. I suppose a lot of "how it's made" type films were played here.

[@119Agent]

I remember this show. I didn't have cable television at my home but the daycare I attended did and they pretty much played Nickelodeon all day long and this was a show I used to watch.

[@tvguy1979]

Wow! Any other Nick memories from this period?

[@stingsAUTTP]

What year?

[@119Agent]

@@stingsAUTTP probably 1980?

[@tvguy1979]

@LostDutchman Anything you remember about the show in particular?

[@119Agent]

@@tvguy1979 the background was just paintings and my friend told me Josie went to Temple like she did. Seriously, that is what I remember at 5 years old about this short lived show.

[@paulburrell7058]

Great stuff. I was a teen in Columbus and had Qube day one .. ahead of it’s time.

[@tvguy1979]

Do you have a lot of memories of this show?

[@samfeldstein4498]

Do you happen to have footage from the premiere day or did you have a VCR then out of curiosity?

[@DigiRangerScott]

Thanks for the Nick Knacks episode!

[@WarisarcyGameClips]

This was an interesting show. Thanks for uploading this.

[@ChuckD79]

Producer/director Andrea Cvirko later served as senior associate producer for the 1981-86 syndicated children's series The Great Space Coaster.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Makes sense. Great Space Coaster had some short films as well.

[@callmealx]

I wonder who the host is/where she is now. This is still really enjoyable! I'm so glad this has been found.

[@stingsAUTTP]

Andy Helman

[@RoyStorey]

awesome upload! great to see some of this show see the day after so many years

[@tvguy1979]

It's always great to see creative efforts such as this finally surface!

[@andyshistorylessons8278]

This is HISTORIC!

[@superpan218]

_Standing in line_ _To see the show tonight_ _And there's a light on_ _Heavy glow_ _By the way, I tried to say_ _I'd be there, waiting for_ Whoops, wrong thing.

[@ZemeckisTEN]

LOL. I was JUST thinking about that too. Freaking LOVE the RHCP.

[@sainguyen-ht7ju]

I like the host trying to glitch out of existence

[@Karmy.]

This is weirdly comfy to me

[@stingsAUTTP]

The actress, Andrea “Andy” Helman must be 76 by now

[@luxius80]

It's like Sesame Street Episode 847's revealing after... 44 FREAKING YEARS

[@lamart7820]

Kids Had To Watch This For An Hour SHEESH! Rough! Cool To See Tho

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Kids still had many choices that didn't involve a TV back then.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@Alex Sketches Yes, playing outside, for hours.

[@morbidsearch]

@@ChristopherSobieniak Love how every generation thinks they were the last to play outside - meanwhile kids are still playing outside.

[@JasonDelarosa2000]

​@@ChristopherSobieniak And we still had the Big Three networks for Saturday morning cartoons.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@JasonDelarosa2000 Pretty much.

[@MicaaLombardii]

I like the intro music

[@krisstarring]

This opening to "By The Way" is like the poor man's Electric Company. I like the theme and the Scanimation graphics for the retro vibe, but MAN this is cheap! Yes, I understand, Nickelodeon was a fledging network with a shoe string budget at the time, but this is still funny to see in retrospect. Early Nickelodeon is unrecognizable to those of us who grew up with it in the 80's and 90's after the 1984 Geraldine Laybourne directed makeover. I can see why the early Nick format didn't go over very well - they were duplicating ideas that were already executed well on public television. PBS pulled so-called "edutainment" off with theoretically less; relying on government funds and private grants, whereas Nickelodeon had Warner Communications and American Express backing them. As such, Nick could have done SO much better, and of course, as the story goes, they eventually did. After stumbling a bit in the first couple of years, they finally pulled off a formula that worked.

[@stingsAUTTP]

Jim Jinkins would later return to the network for their startup into animation with “Doug” (which was later bought by The Walt Disney Company, whom later gave it a second run (a bad one I would say) & a feature film (also bad)).

[@tomnoydb4131]

0:56 the short is called the intruder about things doing stuff and making noise at the the end the ground shakes from the intruder then he breaks the screen what it looks like.

[@xd-ff6pu]

if you still had this show recorded you would probably be rich

[@soko4710]

I don't think that we'll ever find out where that weird claymation clip came from

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

It's from "The Intruder". kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5vUc2aOe658grM

[@soko4710]

@@ChristopherSobieniak Thank you so much!

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@soko4710 Glad to help!

[@ericariley1696]

By the way...(pun intended) does anyone know the name of the cartoon short about a knight playing the lute and getting pied? If so, thanks!

[@stingsAUTTP]

And by 1991, mostly everyone forgot about this

[@marvinjones2589]

LOL why

[@morbidsearch]

1981 more like

[@mustangmike8515]

Wow!!! This was a very wierd Chanel indeed. Very different from what followed on the next 30 years

[@kevinwood5317]

Nickelodeon in the late 70s and early 80s was a very cool and very different network than what it came to be in the early 90s, which is the era it truly became famous. It felt like a weird underground "educational network" with a hodge-podge of animation, live-action, and foreign stuff. Some was just meant to be entertaining, such as the imported cartoons like Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, and Bananaman, others were more edu-tainment, a la Sesame Street or The Electric Company. "You Can't Do That On Television" and "Turkey Television" were sort of the genesis of the vibe that carried over into the late 80s and early 90s heyday of Nick. (YCDTOT was the origin of "sliming" people, for instance.)

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@kevinwood5317 That was totally what Nick was like to me back then. Kind of a loss leader of stuff that the regular TV channels didn't want. Cable TV was a lot like that in the late 70's/early 80's. Today streaming internet TV has sort of replaced it.

[@119Agent]

It is funny how people too young to remember the early days of Nickelodeon are so surprised how different it was. I aged out of Nickelodeon around 1987 so I have no memory of Rugrats, All That, Spongebob Squarepants, or anything like that. All I remember is the low budget compilation shows with imported shorts, including this one which apparently was considered lost for a time.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@119Agent That was how it was for me. Nick was not the powerhouse of original content it became in the 90's. They obviously took odds & ends from wherever they could afford to get. The current streaming platforms like Tubi have become this new variant for today's world.

[@PinataTimeTapeArchives]

How did you find this?

[@beccalorins8214]

Vhs I think

[@Spingbing123]

I know you have not been active in a year. But if you see this can I ask where did you get this? there is no channel logo did nick not use one in the late 70's or 80's or is this a master tape?

[@edenxela]

Channel screenbugs are very recent

[@tvguy1979]

Hey, sorry for the late response. This definitely came from a master tape- the first 30 seconds or so, which I edited out, were just a black screen

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

​@@tvguy1979I figured it was. Nicer than a broadcast copy I'd expect.

[@Meshal11YouTube15]

You Have 5 Questions!!!!! 1. What Phone Numbers for NickToons? 2. What Phone Numbers for Nick Jr? 3. What Phone Numbers for TeenNick? 4. What Phone Numbers for NickMusic? 5. What Phone Numbers for Nick at Nite?

[@thebenichannel]

Do you have more footage or episodes, how many episodes were made or do you have more clips or snippets of the show.

[@averagesizedperson]

where the frick did you get this man

[@haileyshannon7548]

Nickelodeon in 1979: Our shows for kids our different than other shows for kids because they don't have the things that adults think are wrong with them Nickelodeon in 1980: Well, if you can't beat 'em join 'em!

[@JasonDelarosa2000]

So 1980 would've been when they broke their "taking everything wrong with kids TV and getting rid of it/keeping everything good about it and making it better" promise?

[@bryanloveseighties]

Yes, and that's why Nickelodeon stinks now, but not in the 80s and 90s.

[@morbidsearch]

@@bryanloveseighties Nickelodeon in the late 80s and 90s was successful *because* they cared more about giving children what they wanted rather than their parents.

[@vikingthekitty]

If you're from the 1970's you're probably not familiar with "By the way" because it was lost and can't be seen to the public. Btw, i was born in 2010

[@Karmy.]

Wow I just realized that someone born in 2010 is now old enough to be on KZbin, I feel old

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

​@@Karmy.Probably not as old as I am. I was either 1 or 2 when this aired.

[@WesleyWhiteside]

Kids entertainment back then....

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Normally kids would've watched Saturday morning and weekday cartoons over local channels.

[@greedysmile9229]

What's the cartoons called? 0:15 0:34 0:47 and the stop motion 0:55 and also the girl telling a boy a serect 0:42

[@vertz1515]

Likely recycled / canned shorts Nickelodeon had at the time.

[@dcuniversehypertime7490]

Plz more video comics

[@JasonDelarosa2000]

What if someone called the blonde girl at 0:43 (🎵 You might learn a secret... 🎵) a "bit hot"? Josie is *WAY* hot!!!! ❤❤

[@WesleyWhiteside]

9:17 that exists now haha

[@wigwagstudios2474]

Nickelodeon??? Scanimate!?!

[@justinstewart8954]

Her name's Andy Helman?!!?

[@rubeyvince]

Ok and why is this scary? 😂

[@PinkieLopBun]

I thought you might like to know that an episode of Hocus Focus has been uploaded. watch?v=2sVo0DKtOYg

[@tvguy1979]

Thank you!

[@justinstewart8954]

Did this tv show definitely make it to the air? I doubted it did.

[@tvguy1979]

Yup, it sure did! Twice a day in fact!

[@stephenholloway6893]

It lasted for one season. 1979-80.

[@m56214]

@@stephenholloway6893 Why low ratings

[@stephenholloway6893]

@@m56214 Probably or it was just aired temporary til Nickelodeon found something else they thought it was better made to replace it. Unless someone interviewed any of the crew or Helman herself we may never truly know.

[@haileyshannon7548]

Cable was a new thing, not many people had it

[@FSDJHGDLSGLHDSJKGLJKD]

the theme song is annyoing and stuck in my head, also i think this show was banned from Nickelodeon due to unknown

[@alanmichaelsen1761]

This is not rare. You upload it to KZbin

[@tvguy1979]

Can you tell me where else you could find this? As far as I am aware, this is the only known footage of the show publicaly available.

[@alanmichaelsen1761]

tvguy1979 I was saying it’s not rare because you uploaded it to KZbin

[@TadpoleTea]

@@alanmichaelsen1761 This is the only known footage of the show online. That makes it rare enough.

[@stephenholloway6893]

Plus the series lasted one year when VHS recordings could be expensive back then.