Remember "Our End of the Attic"?

October 17, 2006 10:52 AM

Anybody recall a children's show called "Our End of the Attic," from the seventies or eighties? There seems to be no trace of its past existence, anywhere on the internets.

I remember the show as a sort of grungy, low-budget version of Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood, except without the puppets, and it also aired on PBS affiliates. At the beginning of the show, you'd follow the host up a dusty, old flight of wood steps (for some reason that sequence always delighted me) and the rest of the show took place in what appeared to be an attic room. During the show, viewers were treated to little educational documentaries. I seem to recall one about an urban factory.

I am pretty sure it was called "Our End of the Attic" ... but maybe it was "My End of the Attic." How can a show like this just disappear without a trace?

posted by jayder to media & arts (6 comments total)

Where did you live as a child? There were plenty of locally produced children's shows during that time period. You may need to contact a local affiliate directly to see if anyone has any information about it.

For example, a lot of New Yorkers have fond memories of The Magic Garden, which was locally produced and totally unknown outside of the area.

Also: are you certain it was on PBS? Because when I looked up that Magic Garden link I was stunned to see that it was a WPIX production, which is a commercial network. I would have sworn it was on PBS until I saw that.
posted by bcwinters at 11:17 AM on October 17, 2006

This was in Memphis, Tennessee.

But I am quite sure it was not a local show. Although it was low-budget, my recollection is that it was a show from the Northeast somewhere.
posted by jayder at 11:22 AM on October 17, 2006

You might try asking this guy.
posted by JanetLand at 12:27 PM on October 17, 2006

I have used this strategy for similar puzzles:

1. Put up a web page with everything you know about the show. Make sure the title of the show is in the webpage title and also the h1 header of the page.

2. Ask anyone reading the page to email more information if they have it and include an email link for this.

3. Wait.

I've done this with several topics and over a period of years accumulated amazing amounts of details.
posted by richg at 9:53 PM on October 17, 2006

And don't forget to submit the page to Google and other search engines.
posted by richg at 9:55 PM on October 17, 2006

Great suggestion, richg. That is a really brilliant way to collect information about topics.

It is amazing that this show doesn't ring a bell for anyone else here. Could I have officially stumped AskMe?
posted by jayder at 10:23 AM on October 18, 2006