Watch Mr. Wizard
Watch Mr. Wizard was an American television program for children that demonstrates the science behind ordinary things. The show's creator and on-air host was Don Herbert. Author Marcel LaFollette says of the program, "It enjoyed consistent praise, awards, and high ratings throughout its history. At its peak, "Watch Mr. Wizard" drew audiences in the millions, but its impact was far wider. By 1956, it had prompted the establishment of more than five thousand Mr. Wizard science clubs, with an estimated membership greater than one hundred thousand." It was briefly revived in 1971, and a third  version of the show ran during the 1980s on the Nickelodeon children's cable television network as "Mr. Wizard's World". 1951–1965: Original series. "Watch Mr. Wizard" first aired on NBC on March 3, 1951, with Don Herbert as the title character. In the weekly half-hour live television show, Herbert played a science hobbyist and every Saturday morning a neighbor boy or girl would come to visit. The children were played by child actors; one of them (Rita McLaughlin) enjoyed a long subsequent acting career. Mr. Wizard always had some kind of laboratory experiment going that taught something about  science. The experiments, many of which seemed impossible at first glance, were usually simple enough to be re-created by viewers. The show was very successful; by 1954 it was broadcast live by 14 stations, and by kinescope (a film made from the television monitor of the original live broadcast) by an additional 77. Mr. Wizard Science Clubs were started throughout North America, numbering 5000 by 1955 and 50,000 by 1965. The show moved from Chicago to New York on September 5, 1955, and had produced 547 live broadcasts by the time the show was canceled in 1965. The show  was cited by the National Science Foundation and American Chemical Society for increasing interest in science and won a 1953 Peabody Award. Thirty-two episodes of "Watch Mr. Wizard" were selected by Herbert and released on eight DVDs. 1971: Canadian-produced revival. The series was revived by NBC from September 11, 1971 through September 2, 1972 as "Mr. Wizard", and aired 26 episodes produced in color in Ottawa, Ontario, at the CJOH-TV studios. The series was legally considered Canadian content, despite the American origins of the series and its host. CBC Television carried these episodes within Canada. 1983–1989: "". "Mr.  Wizard's World", a faster-paced version of the show, was shown three times a week on Nickelodeon, the then-rising kids cable channel. Once again, the revival was produced in Canada (this time in Calgary). It produced 78 episodes from 1983 onwards, and continued to run thereafter as reruns. During its airing on Nickelodeon, it was the channel's #3 rated show in 1983 (behind "Livewire" and "You Can't Do That on Television"). It was also famous for its "Ask Mr. Wizard" segment where Herbert answered questions sent in by viewers of all ages. Episodes of it were  reaired in 2005-2006 on the digital cable channel The Science Channel. Herbert once said: "My time on this Earth is getting shorter and shorter each day, but no matter how old I get, and even when I am dead, "Mr. Wizard's World" will never die". It was cancelled in 1990, though reruns continued on Nick at Nite until 1995 and often in early morning time slots right after Nick at Nite finished (usually as part of Cable in the Classroom) until August 2000. In 1994, Herbert developed another new series of 15-minute spots called "Teacher to Teacher  with Mr. Wizard". They highlighted individual elementary science teachers and their projects. The series was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and was shown on Nickelodeon. Selected episodes of "Mr. Wizard's World" are available on DVD from Mr. Wizard Studios Inc. in ten single volumes featuring four episodes on each disk. Gift box-sets are also available. Five seasons of the show, 75 episodes of the 78 total were released on Amazon instant streaming. These episodes are also available through Vudu and can be streamed for free with ads or rented at a fee. ViacomCBS, the parent company of  Nickelodeon, has also added the series to its Pluto TV service. Segments on Mr. Wizard's World included