Hey Dude-a-thon

The Hey Dude-a-thon

Nickelodeon's One & Only Hey Dude Special

How many of you fans remember the Memorial Day Hey Dude-a-thon? I think it aired in 1992, after Hey Dude finished its first run airing.

It was the only Hey Dude-related special ever produced by Nickelodeon, and if you blinked, you might have missed it. But I have to give Nick credit, as they actually made a semi-event of it. David Lascher and Christine Taylor were brought in to host the entire marathon, and they played it in character (Ted and Melody, respectively).

Since the original set was demolished after construction, Nickelodeon did a little improvising. The Hey Dude-a-thon set wasn't much more than a wooden wall background with a couch in front of it. And, of course, a lot of southwest decor, including a big, orange "Nickelodeon" logo done up in the shape of a thunderbird.

Lascher and Taylor hosted the in-between segments, as summarized below. The segments were repeated throughout the marathon, so their comments have no correspondence to specific episodes. The pair used clunky TV remote controls to abruptly transition from their intros to the episodes.

The pictures and transcripts below hopefully give you a flavor of what the marathon was like. The first few bits of each cut are missing, but it doesn't take a brain surgeon to read them in. I can't yet provide you with the episodes that comprised the marathon, but we're working on it.

Key -- CT: Christine Taylor (Melody); DL: David Lascher (Ted)

The premier, "Day One at the Bar None" kicked off the marathon right after this intro...

CT: ...It's Memorial Day, and you know what that means.

DL: Summer's just about here.

CT: And Nick's Hey Dude-a-thon is the perfect way to start the summer off. It's all the Bar None events that really matter.

DL: Yeah, and a heartwarming, day long tribute to my greatest pranks!

CT: Right. (grabs the remote) Well, while he's watching his dream world, let's you and I head out west. -click-

DL: ...ask yourself, how does Ted come up with all those brilliant schemes? Well, I'll let you in a secret.
(motions the camera to come in close)
I don't know! Many have tried to figure it out, but the complex way my brain works is a total mystery...even to me. So let's watch the next show in Nick's Hey Dude-a-thon. Maybe you can figure it out.

Christine...er, Melody...is keeping track with a pen and pad.

CT: ...back. You know, I figured it out. If you watched the entire Hey Dude-a-thon, you're gonna see:

Three departures,
Four arrivals,
Five attempted romances,
Seven cases of mistaken identity,
And twenty-nine childish pranks.

There's so much going on and there's no time to waste. So let's see what's next. -click-

CT: ...Nickelodeon's Hey Dude-a-thon. You know, I tried to pick out the shows where all the big things happen, like major disasters, and major romances. But of course, Ted snuck in some of his picks too with those stupid pranks. But don't let that get you down. Remember, I'm in each episode too. Like this one.

The "Battle of the Sexes" rages again!

DL: ...shows once and for all that the Bar None girls are no match for the guys.

CT: Get a life! We make mince meat out of you and your teams, and remain, as ever, the champions.

DL: The guys.

CT: You mean, the girls!

DL: The guys!

CT: The girls!

DL: Yeah, right...

CT: Yeah, right!

Together: You watch, you decide!
-click- -click-

You know, sometimes I amuse even myself!

DL: You know, Melody's right. Watching Nick's Hey Dude-a-thon is really an emotional experience. It's like seeing my whole life flash by. And now I realize that true happiness lies only in the little things you for others...like the time I glued everyone to the picnic table!
(laughs)
Let's see what happens next.
-click-

Credits: Thanks to Dan Flynn for providing critical information, as well as the rare VHS source for the transcripts and video captures. I'm sure it's one of the few specimens that exist to this day.