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Kids From C.A.P.E.R., The

Entry updated 10 November 2023. Tagged: TV.

Juvenile tv series (1976-1977). Landsburg-Kirshner Productions for NBC-TV. Executive producers: Alan Landsburg, Don Kirshner. Created by Romeo Muller. Directors included Stanley Z Cherry. Writers included Muller. Makeup by Harry Thomas. Cast includes Steve Bonino, Cosie Costa, Robert Emhardt, John Lansing, Robert Lussier and Biff Warren. Thirteen 30-minute episodes. Colour.

The Kids are a singing group/crime-fighting team connected to the 927th Police Precinct in the fictitious city of North Eastern South Weston in an unnamed state, possibly California. Led by Doc (Lansing), the acknowledged brains of the group, they each week face unusual opponents in cases presented to them by a young female guest star who also serves as a possible love-interest for one of the team members. PT (Bonino) possesses mild Superpowers including enhanced vision and sense of smell. Bugs (Costa) has superhuman strength, but only (for reasons never explained) when able to see his hands. Doomsday (Warren) is despite his name a gentle fellow who can communicate with animals via Telepathy. Policeman Kilnsinger (Lussier) is their police contact, with his superior officer being Chief Vinton (Emhardt). While working on cases the team travels in a van nicknamed the Big Bologna, and sings at least one new song per episode. An intelligent great white shark, Mr Featherstone, is an unofficial team member sometimes carried in the van inside a large aquarium tank, offering occasional advice. Enemies faced include a ghost, Alien body snatchers, a revived mummy, and a Phantom haunting an abandoned music recording studio; there were other fantastic or unusual foes. C.A.P.E.R. stood for "Civilian Authority for the Protection of Everybody, Regardless".

An effort to Parody both the teenage/Young Adult crime-fighting genre – such as the series The Mod Squad (1968-1973) – and the film Jaws (1975), this series came and went quickly. It has yet to be released to the home video market despite maintaining a small cult following; full information on it is difficult to obtain. Its resemblances to the musical series The Monkees (1966-1968) are unsurprising: Don Kirshner was also connected with that programme. [GSt]

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