Kathy Mullen no longer performing Leona on BTL

[Ryan]

I'm watching Between the Lions right now, and I just discovered Pam Aceiro performing Leona . Anybody know if this is temporoary or permanent?

 

[matleo]

It's for 14 episodes which total make up both seasons 3 & 4. So it's kind of permanent. Sadly, "Between the Lions" is no more. They've stopped making them. WGBH (the production company that funds BTL) has decided that they have enough episodes to run in repeats that once their target audience (pre-schoolers) have seen them all they are no longer pre-schoolers and you can now entertain a whole new group of pre-schoolers off the same episodes. A few years back "Allegra's Window" succumbed to the same thinking on Nickelodeon as did "Eureeka's Castle" before it. Incidentally you may also notice that Theo Lion is no longer Peter Linz but now performed by Tim "Artie Smartypants/Busterfield" Lagasse. I think Tim does a spot on job of performing Theo and I have to say I really like what Pam does with Leona. She's a little more methodical and mature. It's actually as if she's a little older than Kathy's Leona.

--Matt

PS--if you see the episode where Lionel's Cliffhanger book disappears and he blames Gus the Bunny, look in the upper right hand corner during one of the last scenes. If you can see the upper tier of the library at all, you may also see my butt. No, I'm not kidding. I'm up there as an extra but I don't think I'm actually in the shot.

 

[Sir Didymus]

Matleo,
You work on Between The Lions?????? WOW! What do you do? I saw a few episodes of the show, and I enjoyed it! Do have your own character?

Sir Didymus

 

[matleo]

Didymus,
No, I happened to be visiting some friends who work on the show one day when they were short on extras and asked if I was interested in helping out, so there I am on the second tier in that episode. I don't think you can see me at all. I'm fairly certain the second tier is framed out of that shot, and I was up there just to make sure there were aptrons in that section of the library in case thewy suddenly deicded to shoot that section of it. But I know I'm up there and that's the important thing.

--Matt

 

[Sir Didymus]

Hey that's cool! Did you get to meet the puppeteers? I've always wanted to meet Kathy Mullen. Mainly because I like most of her characters.

Sir Didymus

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Didn't Kathy Mullen and Michael Frith both leave the show over some sort of creative differences with other parties involved with the show?

 

[matleo]

Didymus,
Yes, I have met most of the puppeteers on that show. Sadly, I haven't met kathy, but I do know or have met most of the others. I have a pic of me with Theo somewhere around. And I've gotten to try out the two pigeons as well as the information hen. Great puppets!

BUCK,
I've never gotten the full scoop on why Kathy and Micheal (and Peter) left. But yeah I have heard it was something along those lines.


--Matt

 

[Drtooth]

I thought Peter left because he was busy with Bear!

BTW, WGBH is very stingy with new episodes of shows like this, mainly becasue they "Think" that more people will watch, if they show the same five episodes over and over. That really bugs me., They keep reusing footage over and over. With what they save, they should have enough to make three more seasons.

And does anyone think that Pam's version of Leona sounds more like Mokey, than Kathy's version? I mean Kathy actually PLAYED Mokey!! This always weirds me out!

 

[ISNorden]

*sigh* Just when an old-school fan of CTW's work runs across another cool program...it's canceled again.