View source for Watch Mr. Wizard

{{short description|Television series}}
{{use mdy dates| date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Watch mr. wizard.png
| caption              =
| genre                = [[Science education]]
| creator              = 
| director             = 
| developer            = 
| presenter            = 
| starring             = [[Don Herbert]]
| voices               = 
| narrated             = 
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = 
| country              = United States
| language             = 
| num_seasons          = 
| num_episodes         = 547
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = 
| producer             = 
| editor               = 
| location             = Chicago, Illinois (1951–1955)<br />New York City (1955–1965)
| camera               = 
| runtime              = 30 minutes
| network              = [[NBC]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1951|3|3}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1965|6|27}}
| related              =  
}}
'''''Watch Mr. Wizard''''' is an American [[children's television series]] that [[Educational entertainment|demonstrates the science]] behind ordinary things. The series' creator and on-air host was [[Don Herbert]].<ref name=Daytime>{{cite book |last1=Hyatt |first1=Wesley |title=The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television |date=1997 |publisher=Watson-Guptill Publications |isbn=978-0823083152 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofda00hyat/page/456/mode/2up|access-date=22 March 2020|pages=456–457}}</ref> Author Marcel LaFollette says of the program, "It enjoyed consistent praise, awards, and high ratings throughout its history. At its peak, ''Watch Mr. Wizard'' drew audiences in the millions, but its impact was far wider. By 1956, it had prompted the establishment of more than five thousand Mr. Wizard science clubs, with an estimated membership greater than one hundred thousand."<ref name=LaFollette02>{{cite journal |title=A Survey of Science Content in U.S. Television Broadcasting, 1940s through 1950s: The Exploratory Years |first=Marcel C. |last=LaFollette |journal=Science Communication |date=September 2002 |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=34–71 |doi=10.1177/107554700202400103 |s2cid=144331760 }}Subscription required.</ref>

It was briefly revived in 1971, and a third version of the show ran during the 1980s on the children's cable television network [[Nickelodeon]] as ''Mr. Wizard's World''.

==1951–1965: Original series==
[[File:Mr Wizard.JPG|thumb|200px|left|Herbert in 1961]]
''Watch Mr. Wizard'' first aired on [[NBC]] on March 3, 1951, with [[Don Herbert]] as the title character.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mrwizardstudios.com/watchmrwizardtvshow.htm |title=Watch Mr. Wizard |access-date=2012-05-24 |year=2004 |publisher=Mr. Wizard Studios, Inc.}}</ref> In the weekly half-hour [[live television|live television show]], Herbert played a science hobbyist and every Saturday morning a neighbor would come to visit. The children were played by [[Child actor|child actors]]; one of them ([[Rita Walter|Rita McLaughlin]]) enjoyed a long subsequent acting career. Mr. Wizard always had some kind of laboratory experiment going that taught something about science. The experiments, many of which seemed impossible at first glance, were usually simple enough to be re-created by viewers.

The show was very successful; by 1954 it was broadcast live by 14 stations, and by [[kinescope]] (a film made from the television monitor of the original live broadcast) by an additional 77.<ref name="Sternberg">{{cite book|title=Museum of Broadcast Communications - Encyclopedia of Television (Second Edition): Volume 1|last=Sternberg|first=Joel|publisher=CRC Press|year=2004|isbn=9781579584115|editor1-last=Newcomb|editor1-first=Horace|pages=2487–2488|chapter=Watch Mr. Wizard|chapter-url=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/watchmrwiz/watchmrwiz.htm|archive-date=August 18, 2006|access-date=August 1, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818200950/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/watchmrwiz/watchmrwiz.htm|url-status=dead}}<!--see also https://books.google.com/books?id=CFXgj7a55agC&pg=PA2487--></ref> Mr. Wizard Science Clubs were started throughout North America, numbering 5,000 by 1955 and 50,000 by 1965.<ref name=Sternberg /><!--nice to have this number confirmed; it isn't clear which source Sternberg used.--> The show moved from [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] to [[New York City|New York]] on September 5, 1955, and had produced 547 live broadcasts by the time the show was canceled in 1965.<ref>"N.B.C. Will Cancel 'Mr. Wizard' Show; Children's Science Program Has 14 Years Air", ''New York Times'', by Val Adams, April 17, 1965, p41</ref> The show was cited by the [[National Science Foundation]] and [[American Chemical Society]] for increasing interest in science{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} and won a 1953 [[Peabody Award]].<ref>{{cite web |title=George Foster Peabody Award Winners |url=http://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/PeabodyWinnersBook.pdf |publisher=University of Georgia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726163315/http://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/PeabodyWinnersBook.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-26 }}</ref>

Thirty-two episodes of ''Watch Mr. Wizard'' were selected by Herbert and released on eight DVDs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mrwizardstudios.com/watchmrwizardtvshow.htm |title=Watch Mr. Wizard Main Page |publisher=Mr. Wizard Studios |access-date=2024-02-11}}</ref>

==1971: Canadian-produced revival==
The series was revived by [[NBC]] from September 11, 1971, through September 2, 1972, as ''Mr. Wizard'', and aired 26 episodes produced in color in [[Ottawa, Ontario]], at the studios of [[CTV Television Network|CTV]] outlet [[CJOH-TV]]. The series was legally considered [[Canadian content]], despite the American origins of the series and its host. [[CBC Television]] carried these episodes within Canada.

==1983–1989: ''{{vanchor|Mr. Wizard's World}}''==
<!--"Mr. Wizard's World" redirects here-->
{{Infobox television
| name                 = Mr. Wizard's World
| image                = Mr wizards world opening title shot.jpg
| caption              =
| genre                = [[Science education]]
| creator              = 
| director             = 
| developer            = 
| presenter            = 
| starring             = [[Don Herbert]]
| voices               = 
| narrated             = 
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = {{Unbulleted list|[[Paul Zaza]] (1983–1985)|New York Sound (1985–1989)}}
| country              = {{Unbulleted list|Canada|United States}}
| language             = 
| num_seasons          = 5
| num_episodes         = 78
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = 
| producer             = Fern Field
| editor               = 
| location             = [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], Canada
| camera               = 
| runtime              = 30 minutes
| network              = [[Nickelodeon]] (1983–1989)
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1983|10|3}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1989|7|21}}
| related              = ''Watch Mr. Wizard''
}}
''Mr. Wizard's World'', a faster-paced version of the show, was shown three times a week on [[Nickelodeon]], the then-rising kids cable channel. Once again, the revival was produced in Canada (this time in [[Calgary]]). It produced 78 episodes from 1983 onwards, and continued to run thereafter as reruns. During its run on Nickelodeon, it was the channel's #3 rated show in 1983 (behind ''[[Livewire (talk show)|Livewire]]'' and ''[[You Can't Do That on Television]]''). It was also famous for its ''Ask Mr. Wizard'' segment where Herbert answered questions sent in by viewers of all ages. Episodes of this version of the show were reaired in 2005–06 on the digital cable channel [[The Science Channel]].

Herbert once said: "My time on this Earth is getting shorter and shorter each day, but no matter how old I get, and even when I am dead, ''Mr. Wizard's World'' will never die". It was canceled in 1989, though reruns continued on [[Nick at Nite]] until 1995 and often in early morning time slots right after Nick at Nite finished (usually as part of [[Cable in the Classroom]]) until August 2000. In 1994, Herbert developed another new series of 15-minute spots called ''Teacher to Teacher with Mr. Wizard''. They highlighted individual elementary science teachers and their projects. The series was sponsored by the [[National Science Foundation]].

Selected episodes of ''Mr. Wizard's World'' are available on DVD from Mr. Wizard Studios Inc. in ten single volumes featuring four episodes on each disc. Gift box-sets are also available. Five seasons of the show, 75 episodes of the 78 total were released on Amazon instant streaming.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NL5PPW4 |title=Mr. Wizard's World, 5 Seasons |website=Amazon |access-date=2014-12-27 |year=2014 }}</ref> These episodes are also available through Vudu and can be streamed for free with ads or rented for a fee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/collection/content/Family-Kids/25135?minVisible=21|title = Vudu - Watch Movies|website=Vudu.com}}</ref> [[Paramount Global]], the parent company of Nickelodeon, has also added the series to its [[Pluto TV]] service. The shows are also on iTunes and Crackle now.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reelgood.com/show/mr-wizards-world-1983|title=Mr. Wizard's World - Watch Episodes on Hoopla, Vudu, and Streaming Online |accessdate=26 April 2022|website=Reelgood.com}}</ref>

Segments on Mr. Wizard's World included:
* Everyday Magic
* Supermarket Science
* Oddity
* What's This?
* Quick Quiz
* How It Works
* Snapshot
* Safari
* New Frontiers
* Know Your Body
* Close-Ups
* Challenge

==In popular culture==
*In six episodes of ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'', the characters meet a retired TV scientist based on Mr. Wizard named Professor Proton (played by [[Bob Newhart]]).<ref>[https://www.slashfilm.com/1626153/bob-newhart-the-big-bang-theory-professor-proton-conditions/ Slashfilm article, July 11, 2024]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*"''Watch Mr. Wizard'': Still Crazy (for Science) After All These Years". Interview With Don Herbert. ''Education Digest''. Ann Arbor: October 1994. Vol 60. Iss. 2: pp.&nbsp;68–71.
* {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/27/arts/television/27WEIN.html |title=When Science Was Simple: Watching Mr. Wizard |last=Weingarten |first=Mark |work=New York Times |date=June 27, 2004}} Interview of Don Herbert by Mark Weingarten.

==External links==
* {{cite web |title=Mr. Wizard Studios Homepage |url=http://mrwizardstudios.com/index.htm}} Homepage of a business founded by Don Herbert that sells DVDs containing episodes of Herbert's several television programs. The website also provides some information regarding the programs and of Herbert's life.
* {{IMDb title|0043244|Watch Mr. Wizard (1951)}}
* {{IMDb title|0085060|Mr. Wizard's World (1983–1991)}}
* {{YouTube|c=MrWizardStudios|Mr.Wizard's World}}
{{Portal bar|1950s|1960s|1970s|1980s|Television|Education|Science|New York|Canada}}
{{Children's programming on NBC in the 1960s}}
{{Former Nickelodeon original series}}
{{Educational Nickelodeon}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watch Mister Wizard}}
[[Category:1951 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1965 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1971 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1972 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1983 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1989 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1950s American children's television series]]
[[Category:1960s American children's television series]]
[[Category:1970s American children's television series]]
[[Category:1980s American children's television series]]
[[Category:American children's education television series]]
[[Category:Black-and-white American television shows]]
[[Category:Original programming by local channels in Chicago]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:NBC original programming]]
[[Category:Peabody Award–winning television programs]]
[[Category:Science education television series]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in New York City]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in Ottawa]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in Calgary]]