Toonhound - Sally and Jake (1973-1974)

   "Sally and Jake and their mother and father,
     and Granny and Sly the cat and Harry too,
     All of them live in a village called Dimbledale,
     Where there's always lots of things to do..."

    Sally and Jake live in a little country village called Dimbledale, where there is
    always lots of things to do. Their father and mother run the local grocer's shop,
    selling fruit and vegetables. Dad collects the goods from the market each day in
    his little blue car. Gran's house is adjacent to the family's, and the children often
    drop in for her pies and bakes. They also like to visit Harry the odd-job man.
    He lives in an old converted barn, and he's always making and mending things.
    Meanwhil, Farmer Merrie works the fields around the village. And then we have
    the cat, Sly, who slinks around between his favourite snoozing places - he's a
    lazy old thing, is that moggy...

      Sally and Jake - Granny Sally and Jake - Harry

    Sally, Jake and the village of Dimbledale were early creations from Brian Cosgrove
    and Mark Hall, produced when they operated under the Stop Frame Productions
    banner. The children first appeared in a series of interstitial stories on "Rainbow",
    the long-running ITV children's show starring three bright puppets - Zippy, Bungle
    and George - who shared an imaginery house with a human host.

    Yes, the series has aged a bit now, and the models are noticably flimsy,
     held together by producer's luck more than anything else. But these simple stories
    are so eloquently told. Charm.That's what they've got, by the bucketload. They've
    also got a fantastic, acoustic-pop soundtrack from Keith Hopwood and Malcolm
    Rowe, of Herman's Hermits fame (check them out at Pluto Music). This was
    the duo's first collaboration with Stop Frame/Cosgrove Hall. The Christmas
    Special sports a particularly fine selection of songs that will get your toes
    tapping and dreaming of sledge rides in the snow...

     Sally and Jake - Sly the Cat

    Some Dimbledale detail...

    » Sally and Jake often ride a two-seater tricycle which Harry constructed
        for them, out of odds and ends from his barn...

    » Sally and Jake's house, Gran's House and Harry's barn are built around
        Dimbledale's village green with a pretty duck pond...

    » Dimbledale also has a Village School, an Antiques shop, a Newsagent
        and Post Office, and a Village Inn...

    The Rainbow connection...

    "Rainbow" was an important stepping-stone for Stop Frame/Cosgrove Hall.
    The duo animated the title sequence, and the visual links identified as
    "Line and Shapes" - Curly and Straight were two lines who made themselves
     into all sorts of different pictures, and they and all the other shape-based
     interstitials worked their pictoral magic to the accompaniment of a cacophony
     of machine sounds.

    "Sally and Jake" were the company's first stop-motion creations. And what's
     particularly interesting here is the naturalistic setting. Sally and Jake were/are
    "real" children abroad in a village that's familiar to us all, and they have very
    ordinary, everyday adventures and encounters. They became the first of three
    such creations developed for "Rainbow" through the 1970s, and you can see
    a clear progression:

    Grandma Bricks of Swallow Street was the second 3D interstitial made for
    "Rainbow" and here, the countryside ideals were replaced with a multicultural
    city surburb, with side-by-side houses and lots of bustle. The puppets moved
    on too, with Grandma Bricks and friends sporting more solid, sculpted heads
    and features.

    Subsequently, Robin and Rosie of Cockleshell Bay took the lessons of the
    previous productions and molded them into a magnificent new seaside setting,
    chock full of everyday detail and observational interaction. This was the last of
    the "Rainbow" creations, but Robin, Rosie and their salty friends sailed off on
    104 seaside adventures in their own series. And they, in turn, allowed the
    producers to explore ever-more real environments in films like The Pied Piper
    of Hamelin and Cinderella...

     But Sally, Jake and Sly the cat were first.

"Sally & Jake" LP from Contour Records

    Sally and Jake merchandise

    » Contour Records released a "Sally and Jake" LP in 1974, with narration
        and songs from the series . Side One featured Sally and Jake's Winter
      Adventure whilst Side Two was dedicated to Harry's Party.

    » Collins published at least three "Sally and Jake" tie-in books, again in 1974.
        These were illustrated with photos from the series.

Sally and Jake episodes

    Sally and Jake and the Sports Day
    Sally and Jake and the Duck Pond
    Sally and Jake and the Roller Skates
    Sally and Jake and a Tortoise
    Sally and Jake Go Camping
    Sally and Jake Go at the Fair
    Sally and Jake and Harry's Place
    Sally and Jake Walk the Plank
    Sally and Jake and the String
    Sally and Jake and the Treehouse
    Sally and Jake on the Farm
    Sally and Jake and the Car Ride
    Sally and Jake Go Bowling

    + Sally and Jake's Christmas Adventure

    Sally and Jake and the Haycart
    Sally and Jake and the Goose
    Sally and Jake and the Two Little Pigs
    Sally and Jake and the Playground
    Sally and Jake Go to the Market
    Sally and Jake and the Treasure Hunt
    Sally and Jake at Dimbledale Fete
    Sally and Jake and the Outdoor Games
    Sally and Jake and the Fishing Match
    Sally and Jake Visit the Fairground
    Sally and Jake and the Paper Chase
    Sally and Jake Go Building
    Sally and Jake on Holiday

     Sally and Jake on DVD

    Sally and Jake - The Complete Series
                Region 2 / Network / April 2010

     producer:   Mark Hall
     director:     Bridget Appleby
     writer:       John Kershaw
     music:       Malcolm Rowe
     sung by:    Keith Hopwood
     narrator:   Mike Savage

     On the web

      Pluto Music
      Info here on the sound studio owned and
      operated by Keith Hopwood and Malcolm Rowe...

      Rainbow.web
      This splendid Rainbow site covers all aspects
      of the series in detail...

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			Sally and Jake (1973-1974) producers: Stop Frame Productions animation: stop-motion animation episodes: 26 x 10mins 1 x 10mins Xmas Special
		"Sally and Jake and their mother and father, and Granny and Sly the cat and Harry too, All of them live in a village called Dimbledale, Where there's always lots of things to do..." Sally and Jake live in a little country village called Dimbledale, where there is always lots of things to do. Their father and mother run the local grocer's shop, selling fruit and vegetables. Dad collects the goods from the market each day in his little blue car. Gran's house is adjacent to the family's, and the children often drop in for her pies and bakes. They also like to visit Harry the odd-job man. He lives in an old converted barn, and he's always making and mending things. Meanwhil, Farmer Merrie works the fields around the village. And then we have the cat, Sly, who slinks around between his favourite snoozing places - he's a lazy old thing, is that moggy... Sally, Jake and the village of Dimbledale were early creations from Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall, produced when they operated under the Stop Frame Productions banner. The children first appeared in a series of interstitial stories on "Rainbow", the long-running ITV children's show starring three bright puppets - Zippy, Bungle and George - who shared an imaginery house with a human host. Yes, the series has aged a bit now, and the models are noticably flimsy, held together by producer's luck more than anything else. But these simple stories are so eloquently told. Charm.That's what they've got, by the bucketload. They've also got a fantastic, acoustic-pop soundtrack from Keith Hopwood and Malcolm Rowe, of Herman's Hermits fame (check them out at Pluto Music). This was the duo's first collaboration with Stop Frame/Cosgrove Hall. The Christmas Special sports a particularly fine selection of songs that will get your toes tapping and dreaming of sledge rides in the snow... Some Dimbledale detail... » Sally and Jake often ride a two-seater tricycle which Harry constructed for them, out of odds and ends from his barn... » Sally and Jake's house, Gran's House and Harry's barn are built around Dimbledale's village green with a pretty duck pond... » Dimbledale also has a Village School, an Antiques shop, a Newsagent and Post Office, and a Village Inn... The Rainbow connection... "Rainbow" was an important stepping-stone for Stop Frame/Cosgrove Hall. The duo animated the title sequence, and the visual links identified as "Line and Shapes" - Curly and Straight were two lines who made themselves into all sorts of different pictures, and they and all the other shape-based interstitials worked their pictoral magic to the accompaniment of a cacophony of machine sounds. "Sally and Jake" were the company's first stop-motion creations. And what's particularly interesting here is the naturalistic setting. Sally and Jake were/are "real" children abroad in a village that's familiar to us all, and they have very ordinary, everyday adventures and encounters. They became the first of three such creations developed for "Rainbow" through the 1970s, and you can see a clear progression: Grandma Bricks of Swallow Street was the second 3D interstitial made for "Rainbow" and here, the countryside ideals were replaced with a multicultural city surburb, with side-by-side houses and lots of bustle. The puppets moved on too, with Grandma Bricks and friends sporting more solid, sculpted heads and features. Subsequently, Robin and Rosie of Cockleshell Bay took the lessons of the previous productions and molded them into a magnificent new seaside setting, chock full of everyday detail and observational interaction. This was the last of the "Rainbow" creations, but Robin, Rosie and their salty friends sailed off on 104 seaside adventures in their own series. And they, in turn, allowed the producers to explore ever-more real environments in films like The Pied Piper of Hamelin and Cinderella... But Sally, Jake and Sly the cat were first. Sally and Jake merchandise » Contour Records released a "Sally and Jake" LP in 1974, with narration and songs from the series . Side One featured Sally and Jake's Winter Adventure whilst Side Two was dedicated to Harry's Party. » Collins published at least three "Sally and Jake" tie-in books, again in 1974. These were illustrated with photos from the series. Sally and Jake episodes Sally and Jake and the Sports Day Sally and Jake and the Duck Pond Sally and Jake and the Roller Skates Sally and Jake and a Tortoise Sally and Jake Go Camping Sally and Jake Go at the Fair Sally and Jake and Harry's Place Sally and Jake Walk the Plank Sally and Jake and the String Sally and Jake and the Treehouse Sally and Jake on the Farm Sally and Jake and the Car Ride Sally and Jake Go Bowling + Sally and Jake's Christmas Adventure Sally and Jake and the Haycart Sally and Jake and the Goose Sally and Jake and the Two Little Pigs Sally and Jake and the Playground Sally and Jake Go to the Market Sally and Jake and the Treasure Hunt Sally and Jake at Dimbledale Fete Sally and Jake and the Outdoor Games Sally and Jake and the Fishing Match Sally and Jake Visit the Fairground Sally and Jake and the Paper Chase Sally and Jake Go Building Sally and Jake on Holiday Sally and Jake on DVD Sally and Jake - The Complete Series Region 2 / Network / April 2010 producer: Mark Hall director: Bridget Appleby writer: John Kershaw music: Malcolm Rowe sung by: Keith Hopwood narrator: Mike Savage On the web Pluto Music Info here on the sound studio owned and operated by Keith Hopwood and Malcolm Rowe... Rainbow.web This splendid Rainbow site covers all aspects of the series in detail... index » previous » next »
© Cosgrove Hall Films / F2010