Drawing
With Fred Promotes Water Safety
Fred
M. Grandinetti recalls watching I Dream of Jeannie, with his mother,
during the program’s original broadcast on the NBC television network. He
later followed the series when it began airing in syndication. His affection
for the magical situation comedy would come in handy years later. In 1992,
Grandinetti began hosting, producing and writing Drawing With Fred for
The Watertown Cable Access Channel in Massachusetts. Originally the
series featured cartooning lessons and animated films which included the
adventures of Popeye, Betty Boop and Felix the Cat.
In 2009 Grandinetti added original water safety segments. He nearly drowned as
a little boy in his Aunt’s swimming pool. Grandinetti explained, “The
pool had a white line at the bottom indicating the height of the water. I was
playing on the side right for my size but crossed over the line. Water suddenly
was over my head. Fortunately, a neighbor saw my distress and dove into
the pool rescuing me. From that moment on I wore a lifejacket.” The
water safety segments on Drawing With Fred mainly focus on the
importance of wearing a life jacket. The message is conveyed in a creative
fashion inspired by I Dream of Jeannie, Popeye or other favorites
of Grandinetti. They also feature actors who have appeared in prominent film
and television productions.
Cuyle Carvin and Eugene the Jeep
Cuyle
Carvin’s television and film credits include Modern Family, The Bold
and The Beautiful, Cobra Kai, NCIS: New Orleans, MacGyver,
The Inspectors, The 24th, American Made, The
Walking Dead, and Alienate. Cuyle
Carvin’s water safety tips promote the need to wear a life jacket. In He Knows Safety Bluto ponders why
both Betty Boop and Olive Oyl admire Carvin? Bluto discovers it’s because he
wears a life jacket. Popeye’s animal
friend, Eugene the Jeep, uses his magical tail to zap a life jacket on Cuyle Carvin
in The Jeep’s Water Safety Tip. For
Snap Into Safety Popeye, the sailor’s nephews and Olive Oyl wonder what
is causing a loud noise until they see Carvin snapping up his lifejacket. Late Safe Beach Date has Grandinetti
blinking a life jacket on Cuyle Carvin before he meets a date at the
beach. At the conclusion of this segment
Carvin sings, to Popeye’s theme song, “It’s better to be late than forget to be
safe says Cuyle the Swimming Man.” Regarding his appearances on Drawing With
Fred, Cuyle Carvin said in 2012, “I
love working with Fred on many levels. He really cares about reaching out and
helping the younger and more impressionable generation.”
Chad
Michael Collins has numerous acting credits including Bones, Blue
Bloods, Once Upon a Time, Howlers, Christmas
Cupid’s Arrow and the popular video game series, Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare. In the water safety segment
titled, Sign Up for Safety, Collins introduces himself via photos from
his career and is shown reading warning signs at the beach. He advises the
audience to do the same. The signs include the hazards of shark and jelly fish
sightings.
Brandon
Stumpf is an art teacher and professional model who graces the cover of author
Jon F. Mertz’s vampire series portraying Lawson. Stumpf appears in the water
safety segment Wearing What’s Right which incorporates magic, inspired
by Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and Sabrina the Teen-Age
Witch. Stumpf magically tries to remember what safety device he should wear
before swimming. Finally, he eats spinach to jolt his memory. When Stumpf
swallows the vegetable a life jacket pops on him! Smoke
from a genie bottle transforms into theatrical and musical performer, Brendan
Lynch, in The Magic Word is Safety. By blinking Lynch produces
the items he needs for his trip to the beach. These are a towel, sandals, a
book (which happens to be Still Dreaming of Jeannie written by
Grandinetti) and finally an item he calls “safety’ which is a lifejacket.
Gymnast
Eric Petersen appears in both live action and cartoon form in A Magical
Meeting. After blinking on a lifejacket Petersen becomes blue colored smoke
which travels to meet his friend, Popeye, at the beach. Both, of course are
wearing life jackets. Michael
Forget, Joseph Patrick Michel and Michael Michel also appear in water safety
segments stressing the importance of wearing life jackets. Segments
have been edited by Vatche Arabian and Marc Vadeoncoeur. Drawing With Fred can
be seen on additional cable access stations and episodes have been donated to
children’s hospices and hospitals.
Grandinetti
said, “Wearing a life jacket is such an easy thing to remember and can save
lives. I’ll continue producing water safety segments for my show to provide a
magical inspiration to wear one.” The
water safety segments can be seen on the Drawing With Fred face book page
located at https://www.facebook.com/pg/DrawingWithFred/videos/?ref=page_internal Fred M. Grandinetti Home Page
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(Left: Photo of a young 
(Photo left: 
(Photo left: 
(Photo left: 
(Photo
left: Fred Grandinetti (r) with the inspiration for his water safety
segments, Barbara 'Jeannie' Eden. The actress is holding Grandinetti's
book on the series published in 1985.