Another Movie Guide

Hey Dude – A Forgotten Nickelodeon Classic

Hey Dude was a Western comedy television show on Nickelodeon. Only three seasons exist, and they aired from 1989-1991. It was officially known as Nickelodeon’s first live action series original to the channel’s lineup.

Set on the Bar None Dude Ranch, the story takes place with a staff of characters who were employed by the ranch.

The cast was led by Mr. Ernst, the owner of the ranch. He brought his son Buddy from New Jersey to help as well. In season one, there were four main characters. Ted and Danny were the boys, and Brad and Melody were the girls.

Ted, played by David Lascher, had to leave the show temporarily and was replaced by Jake, the nephew of Mr. Ernst. They also added Kyle, a cowboy and ranch hand, to the cast as well before Ted returned to make the main group of kids six.

Typical teenager stuff took place on the ranch. You had your love stories, your getting into trouble (and out of) schemes and funny “fish out of water” experiences.

I recently caught a bit of the show on a VCR tape I used back in the day. Fortunately, I went online later in the day and found out the iTunes Store actually sells the entire first season.

It’s a little wild and a little strange at the Bar None Dude Ranch, but it was truly a classic Nickelodeon show. Excuse me for the next few days as I bring back the crazy times in the Arizona desert.

Along with some entertainment writing, Ken McCormick also writes about those mosquito killer products, especially the Lentek mosquito trap.