Big Blue Marble
Encyclopedia
Big Blue Marble was a half-hour children's television series that ran from 1974 to 1983 in syndication. Distinctive content included stories about children around the world and a pen-pal club that encouraged intercultural communication. The name of the show referred to the appearance of Earth
as a giant marble
, popularized by a famous photograph
of the same name taken in December 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17
.
In keeping with this theme, there was a weekly segment in which a singing globe
invited viewers to write letters to the show, often requests for pen pal
s. The address to send the letters was in Santa Barbara, California
.
Production personnel included creators Ken Snyder, Henry Fownes, and Robert Garrison, producer Rick Berman
(later of Star Trek
fame), writers Lynn Rogoff
and Robert Wiemer
, and directors Joe Napolitano
, Joseph Consentino
and Peter Hammer.
Each of the first 78 half-hour episodes produced during the original three years of production contained cartoon shorts and other animated pieces. These animation sequences were created by Ron Campbell Films, Inc., executive produced and directed by Ron Campbell
, and were written by Cliff Roberts.
In 1974, A&M Records
released an album of songs from the show, also titled Big Blue Marble. The catalog number for the album was SP-3401.
Funded by ITT
, Big Blue Marble was syndicated to television stations throughout the United States
and Canada
. C/F International
was the most-recent rights holder to the series; that company folded in 2008.
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
as a giant marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, popularized by a famous photograph
The Blue Marble
The Blue Marble is a famous photograph of the Earth taken on December 7, 1972, by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft at a distance of about ....
of the same name taken in December 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17
Apollo 17
Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the...
.
In keeping with this theme, there was a weekly segment in which a singing globe
Globe
A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon...
invited viewers to write letters to the show, often requests for pen pal
Pen pal
Pen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail.-Purposes:A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships...
s. The address to send the letters was in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
.
Production personnel included creators Ken Snyder, Henry Fownes, and Robert Garrison, producer Rick Berman
Rick Berman
Richard Keith “Rick” Berman is an American television producer. He is most famous for his work as the executive producer of several of the Star Trek series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager; and, several of the Star Trek theatrical productions, and...
(later of Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fame), writers Lynn Rogoff
Lynn Rogoff
Lynn Rogoff is an American film and television producer, and stage playwright, theatre director and professor.Born in New York City, Rogoff is a graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts...
and Robert Wiemer
Robert Wiemer
Robert Wiemer is a film and television director, writer, producer and editor.- Director :* Star Trek: Deep Space Nine** episode "Profit and Loss"* SeaQuest DSV* Star Trek: The Next Generation...
, and directors Joe Napolitano
Joe Napolitano
Joseph Ralph Napolitano in Udine, Italy) is an American film and television director who has worked in the in the film and televison industries since the mid-1970s directing both TV films and multiple episodic series.-Career:...
, Joseph Consentino
Joseph Consentino
Joseph Consentino is an Emmy Award-winning director/producer most famous for his Emmy-winning TV show The Big Blue Marble. He is also noted for directing the 2007 documentary Baghdad Diary. Consentino has also endeavored in baseball, and, along with former Major League Baseball player George...
and Peter Hammer.
Each of the first 78 half-hour episodes produced during the original three years of production contained cartoon shorts and other animated pieces. These animation sequences were created by Ron Campbell Films, Inc., executive produced and directed by Ron Campbell
Ron Campbell (animator)
Ron Campbell is an animator, director, and producer, best known for his work on the 1960s The Beatles , as well as the animated feature film Yellow Submarine.- Early career :...
, and were written by Cliff Roberts.
In 1974, A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
released an album of songs from the show, also titled Big Blue Marble. The catalog number for the album was SP-3401.
Funded by ITT
ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
, Big Blue Marble was syndicated to television stations throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. C/F International
C/F International
C/F International was a company that licensed television programming to stations, home video companies and other outlets around the world. Its Businessweek profile stated that:...
was the most-recent rights holder to the series; that company folded in 2008.
External links
- Jump The Shark page on Big Blue Marble
- Lyrics and music to second Big Blue Marble Theme Song
- C/F International: Big Blue Marble
- Big Blue Marble episode guide courtesy of C/F International
- Discussion Group (registration required)
- "The Earth's a Big Blue Marble"