The Disc Jockey

Back in the early ’90s, there really wasn't anyone quite like the Wrigley family on TV. A bridge between the squeaky-clean characters on traditional family-based sitcoms and the freakier folks on more adventurous programs like Twin Peaks and Roseanne, this family of four—five, if you count Little Pete's tattoo Petunia—could be counted on to have all sorts of daffy adventures on their show The Adventures of Pete & Pete, one of the crowning jewels in Nickelodeon's schedule of the 1990s. Dad Don (played by Hardy Rawls, the guy who replaced the late Gordon Jump as the Maytag repairman in commercials) is a hard-working man who enjoys metal detectors and adventure. Mom Joyce (Judy Grafe, Frank Henenlotter's favorite newscaster) has a steel plate in her head which both helps her pick up radio signals and makes her easy to find at the beach. But it's the two Wrigley sons who drive the show's narrative engine—two red-headed sons named Pete. Little Pete (Danny Tamberelli), he of the aforementioned tattoo, and Big Pete (Michael Maronna, from Slackers, 40 Days and 40 Nights, and his recurring Ameritrade commercials) were decidedly unlike most sitcom kids in that they were best friends who got along really well with their parents. They may disagree, but each member of the Wrigley family holds dear to the inherent decency and fun of the other three, which is refreshing on many levels. You also get Syd Straw as the math teacher, Michael Stipe as an ice cream man who shares with the Petes the lonely truths of the Ice Cream Man Code, B-52 Kate Pierson as a blind millionaire and Steve Buscemi, as well as recurring parts for Michelle Trachtenberg, Heather Matarazzo and Iggy Pop. An assortment of folk like that today would simply shriek "stunt casting," but for whatever reason, all coexist naturally in the universe that the show sets up. And what a universe it is—what with the domineering Krebstar Corporation responsible for the manufacture of nearly everything; the sad story of Edna, the school's late squid mascot; and (of course) the town's own superhero, Artie, the Strongest Man in the World. Looking at Nickelodeon's DVD release of Pete & Pete’s first season, the first thing that comes to mind is what a delightful confluence of weird fortune the whole series represents. Bringing together a couple of the one-minute shorts that introduced the characters, the four specials that preceded the series, and all eight episodes of the first season, the two-disc package is a feast of delightful whimsy. Granted, everything is presented from less-than-ideal video masters, but the image is true to the show's origins and certainly looks better than the reruns on The N. Audio is the original 2-channel stereo, with commentaries from the show's creators and longtime director on a couple of the episodes. This first-season package features two of my favorite episodes. One has Little Pete and a group of like-minded associates deciding to protest what they consider unfair bedtimes by becoming "The Nightcrawlers." The other, "Hard Day's Pete," involves Little Pete hearing the greatest song ever on the radio—but since he can’t find out who performed it or what it was called, he forms a band to recreate it. As a whole, the series remains perfect for any parent seeking to expand their kids' film and video repertoire. Bring on Season Two!