INSIDE/OUT

Inside/Out (Inside Out) was a show made in the US. Geared towards older children/youth. Thought provoking show - that ended off where you had to think about what you would do. I remember an episode where a girl was epliptic and was going away for a weekend with friends - she faced the dilemma of having to tell friends about it (I have now found out that this was not Inside Out - I am puzzled as to what it actually was); in anither episode a boy badly wanted to get a toy - but having to use his own money to buy it, left him in a quandry.

It aired on PBS, TVO, TV Ontario, TVOntario.

In speaking to writer Ken Sobol he was able to tell me that two episdoes of Inside/Out received an Academy Award back in the early 70's for children's writing. In particular the episodes that were given the Oscar were the first two stories in the book - Brothers and Sisters and But....Names Will Never Hurt? (written by Ken Sobol). Ken provided me the Inside/Out book published by Bantam Books. This book focuses on eight episodes from the series - I've added the names of the authors of the short stories along with the episodes below. I've also scanned a few pages from the book.

Here are some images from the start of the show - thanks to Rob in Manitoba for providing them:

Funding for the show came in part from Exxon:

Various regional/state/provincial education agencies contributed to the show as well:

Here are some images from the shows:

Here is a scanned page from the book:

INSIDE/OUT EPISODE LISTING

1. Because It's Fun - A 4th grader thinks he is all that when he plays football with 6th graders. He can't understand why people enjoy playing games just for fun - such as tetherball, hopscotch, roller skating and so forth. Everything he does he must play to win. (A pretty lame episode)
2. How Do You Show? - Three boys go through various emotions/feelings in one afternoon - Fear, Joy, Laughter, Anger.
3. Strong Feelings - A boy in a dream sequence is told about what happens when different feelings are experienced (Painfully long solo sax)
4. Must I/May I? (written by Ken Sobol)- One boy wishes he could do more things by himself. One girl wishes that she didn't have to do everything by herself. Lemons are 15 cents. The boy cycles throughout a neighbourhood - this reeks of Toronto suburbia in the early 1970's
5. Travelin' Shoes - A farm boy learns his father wants to move the family to the big city of Washington D.C. The boy isn't happy and doesn't want to leave.

6. Just Joking - A boy is always playing jokes on others such as his sister, schoolmates or a candy store owner. He thinks it is all so funny - but how does he feel when the joke is on him? (Look for some bizarre camera zoom action at the very end of the episode)
7. But…Names Will Never Hurt? (written by Ken Sobol) - In the heat of the battle of a hockey game, a boy from Hull, Quebec is called a name, the name caller feels bad. He speaks to his mother, the boy ventures to Hull and sees what life is like there. (Neat to see a Kentucky Fried Chicken French style - Poulet !!!)
8. Home Sweet Home - A boys cat was given away by his mother, it was the last straw, he wants to run away from home and tries to convinve a freind to do the same.
9. Jeff's Company - A only child farm boy is invited to a "Round-Up" by a schoolmate. He wants to go, but his father has other ideas. (Painfully long cattle round-up scene)
10. Buy and Buy - A new fantastic toy is advertised during The Captain Selmore show, a daily variety program, and two brothers and obsessed with trying to be the first on their block to get it. But when they have to use their own money - they learn the true value of really wanting something. Detailed images of the Iron Whirl-a-gig below!

11. Can I Help? - While on a field trip to a civil war ground, a girl thinks she would have helped wounded soliders. A boy wanders off looking for artifacts and falls down a hill and hurts himself - the girl hears the boys plight and tries to assist.
12. Living with Love - Life in a Group Home
13. Can Do/Can't Do - A girl wishes she could be various other members of her family - until she spends a few minutes as them.
14. Breakup - This episode switches between black & white (unhappy times) and colour (happy times) - a little girl tries to deal with her parents pending divorce.
15. Love, Susan (written by Jan Skrentny) - A girl works on a painting for her father who is soon to retrun home from a long day at work. Two traffic jams, a report that was not what his boss wanted and a pestering child leads to some harsh words spoken.

16. Brothers and Sisters (written by Ruth Pollak) - A brother can't stand his sister and wishes he was an only child. But he does show his care for his sister in certain ways. He promises to go to his sisters play - but to spite his mother (who always shows favourtism towards his sister), he also goes to see a horror movie (The House the Dripped Blood) on the same day.
17. Someone Special (written by John Allman) - A prelude to a stalker. A boy really likes his teacher. He tries to do everything to please her. When he finds out that he isn't liked anymore than the other students, he doesn't take to kindly to it.
18. I Want To - A girl takes her family to court over how she is treated at home. Bizarre dance sequence in this episode, not once but twice!
19. When is Help? - A boy doesn't need anyones help, a girl offers everyone help - but is she really helping? Helping from different perspectives (some funky music towards the end of this episode)
20. Bully - The new boy in class is picked on by the class bully. The bully follows him around town taunting him. The new boy pleads to be left alone, but the bully will have nothing of it. But, when the Bully needs help what will happen?

21. But They Might Laugh - A girl freezes when she has to spell on the blackboard and as a result her classmates laugh at her. The class then has a trip to the local ice rink. She is afraid to try it, since she can't skate and the classmates might laugh at her when she falls. Her teacher tries to help.
22. Lost is a Feeling (written by Ruth Pollak) - A Spanish boy moves from his ocean town to a bustling city. He is having great trouble adapting to a new language, not seeing the ocean, missing his friends and the like. His Unlce buys him a baseball mitt to try to make some new friends at the park. Will he be able to? (A painfully long chase scene at the end)
23. Donna - The episodes follows the daily life of a visually impaired girl named Donna
24. You Belong - A boy who spent a summer out of the city reflects on the importance of people, animals, plants, water, food and Ecology
25. Just One Place - Some innercity youth are taken out to the quietness of the country. One child is particularly touched by it at all and tries to make a little bit of country in the otherwise rather messy innercity lot. He spends the summer cultivating the grounds and produces tomatoes, carrots and other vegetables. Will he do this again next summer (watch for some horrendous acting by the lead adult)

26. In My Memory (written by John Allman) - A young girls grandmother passes away. Various relatives come and visit for the funeral.
27. I Dare You (written by Ruth Pollak)- A group of children dare each other to do crazy stunts - eg. skateboard down a hill, steal a construction workers lunch, but will their last dare be a bit too extreme?
28. Yes, I Can - A young boy is determined to go camping alone.
29. A Sense of Joy - A brother and sister make their way to the beach. Each has a different way to get there. One direct and one anything but direct.
30. Getting Even - Five children have a falling out when twoof them aren't included in the building of a fort. Some miscommunication sees them fight and start to intensely dislike one another. Neither group can see what happened from the others perspective. (A very lame fight occurs in this episode)

THE IRON WHIRL-A-GIG (Iron Whirlygig, Iron Whirly-gig, Iron Whirligig, Iron Whirl-i-gig, Iron Whirli-gig)

(I have no idea what this is. For 25 years I wondered. I think the makers of the show were on acid when they made this bizarre and strange toy. Chopped heads of dolls, Christmas lights, bells, rubber bands, things spinning around - all so very strange. I could never understand why the boys were so obsessed with getting an Iron Whirlagig - but I suppose Captain Selmore (sell-more) and his cast of puppets can manipulate their audience quite easily). Without further adieu here it is:

Wilson, North Carolina holds a festival every year where a whirl-a-gig building contest is held. A wide variety of materials and props are used to make these. They include but are far from limited to dolls heads, patio umbrellas, whistles and toy animals. They are quite a sight to see

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