The Trouble with Miss Switch is a 1980 animated television special produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and based on the 1971 children's book of the same name by Barbara Brooks Wallace. It originally aired in two parts on ABC Weekend Special series on February 16 and 23, 1980.[1]
| The Trouble with Miss Switch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Animation Adventure Comedy Drama Family Fantasy |
| Written by | Sheldon Stark |
| Directed by | Charles A. Nichols |
| Voices of | Janet Waldo Eric Taslitz Nancy McKeon June Foray Frank Welker |
| Music by | Dean Elliott |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Joe Ruby and Ken Spears |
| Producer | Jerry Eisenberg |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Ruby-Spears Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | February 16 – February 23, 1980 |
Following its initial broadcast, Miss Switch was frequently rerun and due to its popularity, a sequel called Miss Switch to the Rescue was also produced as an ABC Weekend Special in 1982.[2]
Synopsis
editRupert Brown and Amelia Daley are classmates at Pepperdine Elementary School who discover that their substitute teacher, Miss Switch, is a witch complete with a magical talking Lykoi-Breed cat named Bathsheba. She tells the children that the wicked witch Saturna has taken control of the Witches' Council and has condemned the fair Miss Switch with the aid of her Computer Witch. Rupert suggests bewitching a certain football player's number at the big game to ensure victory, but Saturna causes the spell to backfire so that the visiting team wins. Rupert comes up with another plan, but asks Miss Switch to let him and Amelia accompany her.
Miss Switch and Bathsheba fly to Witch Mountain with Rupert and Amelia. Saturna sends out her bats to attack them, which causes the broom to splinter; some bats carry Miss Switch away, while the others drop Rupert, Amelia and Bathsheba down a well. Miss Switch finds herself in the council room, where the Witches' Council prepares their verdict. The children and Bathsheba get out of the well, and sneak in disguised as witches. Just as Miss Switch agrees to be banished, her friends reveal that her ability to spread love and joy is the most original witchcraft idea of all. After the Computer Witch explodes from Rupert and Amelia’s speech, the Witches' Council banishes Saturna and appoints Miss Switch the new Head Witch. The next day, Miss Switch tells the kids that she’s to return to Witch Mountain as she says goodbye to Rupert and Amelia.
Voices
edit- Janet Waldo—Miss Switch, Council Witches
- Eric Taslitz—Rupert Brown
- Nancy McKeon—Amelia Daley
- June Foray—Bathsheba, Saturna, and Council Witches
- Frank Welker—Hector and Computer Witch
- Philip Tanzini—Banana, Bill Swanson, Rudy Lopez and Conrad
- Alan Dinehart—Caruso, Football Announcer
Production
edit- Executive Producers: Joe Ruby & Ken Spears
- Produced by: Jerry Eisenberg
- Directed by: Charles A. Nichols
- Written by: Sheldon Stark
- Story Direction: Ron Campbell
- Voice Direction: Alan Dinehart
- Layout Supervisor: Larry Huber
- Music: Dean Elliott
Home video
editThe 1991 VHS release The Miss Switch Mystery Special from Strand VCI Entertainment features The Trouble with Miss Switch alongside Miss Switch to the Rescue.[3] Current rightsholder Warner Home Video has yet to release a DVD.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Woolery, George W. Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-five Years, 1962-1987, retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ The Miss Switch Mystery Special at WorldCat