Steampipe Alley facts for kids

Steampipe Alley was a super fun TV show made just for kids! It aired on WWOR-TV in Secaucus, New Jersey, from February 7, 1988, to April 18, 1993. The show's host was the hilarious comedian Mario Cantone. A friendly station announcer named Ted Mallie also helped out.

Every episode was packed with excitement. There were special celebrity guests and funny comedy sketches. Kids in the audience got to play cool games. The show also featured classic "Looney Tunes" and "Max Fleischer" cartoons.

Judy Katschke wrote the series and was also its producer. Rick Derman was the senior producer. Neil Borrell directed the show.

Meet the Characters of Steampipe Alley

Mario Cantone, the host, played many different funny characters. Here are some of them:

• Julia Children: This character was a silly version of TV chef Julia Child. Julia Children shared easy recipes for snacks that kids could make at home.
• Joe Rivers: He was supposedly the brother of the famous comedian Joan Rivers.
• Poochano Pavarachi: A funny take on the Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti. Poochano sang about his funny tummy troubles and led the "Out of Gas" game.
• Ciao Aldo: He appeared in funny fake commercials. Ciao Aldo promoted perfumes that smelled like pasta!
• Ted Ringer: This character was a sneaky used car salesman. He appeared in fake commercials. Ted Ringer tried to sell cars from his "Used and Abused Car Lot."
• Frankie D: A parody of Frank Sinatra. Frankie D was a teacher who taught his "class" by singing songs.
• Richie Morales: A neighborhood kid who appeared in the "Something to Think About" part of the show.
• Sammy Sammy, Jr.: A funny version of Sammy Davis, Jr.. Sammy Sammy, Jr. was in charge of the "Eye In the Pie" game.
• Rex Can Read: This character was a silly film critic. Rex Can Read co-hosted the "At the Alley" segment.
• Angelo Antonelli: A funny Italian-American sewer worker. Angelo Antonelli was the host of the "Three Sewer Monte" game.

Fun Games and Segments

"Steampipe Alley" featured many different games and comedy sketches. Here are some of the most popular ones:

• Three Sewer Monte: Angelo Antonelli hosted this game. He would pick an audience member to pull a string on one of three pipes. If they picked the right pipe, they won a prize! If not, they got "spiders primavera" (rubber spiders and spaghetti) dumped on their head.
• The Dream Date Game: This was a funny version of "The Dating Game". A girl would ask questions to three boys. One of the boys was always Mario Cantone in disguise!
• Where In the World?: Kids had to guess famous world landmarks. If they guessed correctly, they won prizes.
• Steampipe Theatre: Mario Cantone, as "Cecil B. DeMario," was an acting coach. He helped kids act out scenes from famous movies or plays.
• Cream the Teach: Two kids from a local school got 30 seconds. They tried to throw pies at one of their teachers. The teacher's head was stuck through a prop wall. If a pie hit the teacher's face, the kids won a prize for their school!
• Something to Think About: This was a more serious part of the show. Richie Morales, a neighborhood kid, would tell a story. His stories often gave good advice for real-life situations.
• Eye In the Pie: A kid contestant had 30 seconds to find Sammy Sammy, Jr.'s glass eye inside a pie. If they found it, they won a prize! For Thanksgiving episodes, this game was called Eye In the Stuffing. The search happened inside a bowl of stuffing.
• Out of Gas: The Italian singer Poochano Pavarachi led this game. It was like Musical chairs, but all the chairs had whoopee cushions. The last kid sitting won a prize!
• The National Gallery of Excuses: Mario Cantone would read funny excuses sent in by kids at home. These were excuses for things like not doing homework. Kids whose excuses were read on TV won a prize.
• At the Alley: This was a funny version of the TV show "At the Movies". The snooty critic Rex Can Read would give a harsh review of a well-known nursery rhyme or fairy tale. His reviews were usually very different from his friendly co-critic, young Bill Getsharassed.
• Mystery Guest: This game was like "What's My Line?". Three blindfolded audience members tried to guess a celebrity's identity. They asked "yes" or "no" questions. Each kid could keep asking questions until they got a "no" or guessed the guest. Guessing correctly won them a prize! Famous guests included Morris the Cat and Morton Downey Jr..
• Brain Drain: This was the last game of each show. It was inspired by the popular kids' game show "Double Dare". Two kids competed in a fast 60-second question round. The player with the higher score won a prize. They then got to run an obstacle course for a chance at the day's grand prize.