| Nickel Flicks | |
|---|---|
 Logotype for the series, used on promotional materials and news advertisements. | |
| Presented by | John Moschitta Jr. |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 110 |
| Production | |
| Producer | John Moschitta Jr. |
| Running time | 1 hour |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nickelodeon |
| Release | April 1, 1979 (1979-04-01) – December 1979 (1979-12) |
Nickel Flicks is an American television series that premiered onNickelodeon in 1979 as one of the network's inaugural programs, and the first original series created for the channel after its launch. It showcased "cliffhanger" serials from the 1920s to the 1940s, in addition to early comic one-reelers and silent short films. It was hosted by producerJohn Moschitta, who later became famous as the "World's Fastest Talker" in commercials forFedEx. This was Moschitta's first on-camera television role.Nickel Flicks was notably the first Nickelodeon show to be cancelled and the shortest-lived out of Nickelodeon's inaugural series; according to Moschitta, it was cancelled due to complaints about the violent nature of many of the serials.[1]
Since the features onNickel Flicks had been created prior to the advance ofcolor television, most of the program was presented inblack and white. The only exception were the segments featuring Moschitta, which were taped in color at the QUBE studios inColumbus, Ohio. The program aired three times every day from April 1979 until November or December of 1979. Taping finished in July 1979, when Moschitta moved to Los Angeles.Nickel Flicks is the only show on the network not to last beyond the 1970s and the first Nickelodeon program to end.
It is a more recent example of alost television program, due to the lack of recorded tape that exists. According to a podcast interview, Saturday Morning Rewind, tapes existed, but were lost in a storage unit.
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Slapstick comedy serials made up the majority of the content onNickel Flicks. Comic violence, which was rare in children's programming at the time, was not edited out of most of the films that were shown; it was even advertised as kids' programming "with no sugar-coating."[2] Cable executiveBill Riley stated that "any violence [on the program] is either less intense than that found on commercial television or is clearly intended as comedy."[2] Datedsuspense films aimed at a family audience were occasionally shown as well.[3] The show was not just a showcase but a "public affairs program as well."[4] Moschitta, in his own words, played "aSydney Greenstreet kind of character in a white suit", wearing apith helmet orpanama hat, and sat in a large rattan chair.[5] During Moschitta's host segments, public affairs issues related to the plots or stars of the showcased films were discussed.
The following artists' works were featured on the program:
TheCourier-Post described the offerings onNickel Flicks as "wholesome."[7]The Philadelphia Inquirer labeled the series "a collection some of the best kids shows from previous years."[4]