User Reviews

I met Tom last year while he was putting on a children's concert. I was working backstage security and ran into him. I asked him about "Fly High." He said he does a whole show of his brother's stuff once a year. Turns out Harry wrote a song called "Fly High" and the theme song for "Make a Wish" is actually titled "Make a Wish." Anyway, the shows are now owned by ABC and are locked away in a vault, as they say. He wishes they would release them but said he has had no indication they plan to do so. He did a quick word association riff a-la "Make a Wish" for me, and instantly a 40-something, 250 pound cop was transformed into a starry-eyed ten year old again. It was positively magical.

This is one of those shows that one always remembers throughout their life. For me it was not necessarily the cartoons or the skits, it was a particular song. The song was sung by the host TOM CHAPIN. It was called "FLY HIGH", and it was plainly wonderful. It spoke of reaching forward in your life and never letting the circumstances of life drag you down. I often think of it when times are tough, and it brings an immediate smile to my face. Thank you, TOM CHAPIN!

I agree this was a great show for teaching us kids to think "outside the box". It was always fun to see where word associations would lead, and how far afield they'd end from where they had started. ...and, of course the way the show encouraged our generation to enjoy language and have fun exploring ideas. I remember lyrics from the recurring and closing theme songs.

The recurring song was "If you want it, you can get it, but to get it, you gotta want it. Anything you want to try, just let go, fly HIGH,...and make a wish."

The closing song was "Dream a dream, sing a song, wish you could, right a wrong. Take a chance, sing and dance, wish you could, you'd find it good. ...so dream your dreams. Dreams come true. They can even, work for YOU,...so make a wish."

One of the favorite shows of my childhood (along with "The Old Curiosity Shop"). The only show that I can recall with a similar structure was James Burke's "Connections" - jumping from subject to subject. Nowdays, this is considered harmful to a child's development. I thought it was wonderful. It was the first show that moved as quickly as I did, and for a half-hour each week I could learn as fast as I wished to. (Of course now, children like me are diagnosed as ADHD and drugged to slow down to the speed of the other kids).

I'd love to see this on DVD, if only to find if the reality fits my memories.

Glad to see a lot of people remember this show! I remember it being on ABC on Sunday mornings at 10 or 10:30am (like a previous poster said, right after Bullwinkle). The way they explored words and phrases with free association definitely was imaginative and captivating, and the accompanying picture/image collages got a bit "out there" at times, but all in all it was a fun way to spend Sunday mornings. Tom Chapin was also a very likable host, and he was truly gifted with his ability to communicate with folks of all ages. The show is definitely the epitome of the 70s, and I concur with previous comments regarding the shaggy, bell-bottom feel of the program. And now here they are... the theme lyrics as I remember them: "Make a wish... Have a ball... Dream a dream... Be it all! If you want it, you can get it, But to get it, you've got to want it; Anything you want to try, just let go, fly high... and Make a Wish!"

This show came on at 11:30am, right after "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show," on Sunday mornings (not Saturday). Every show had a theme, usually based on a compound word. Then that word would be broken down and the free association would fly by on screen. I often wondered how little kids could keep up, but I know a lot of adults, who are now 40+, who fondly remember this show and how it contributed to their vocabulary and their ability to see things from all perspectives.

For a 15 year old girl, Tom Chapin was a good enough reason to watch. I have to admit I had a crush on the guy. LOL.

Too bad this was before VCRs were a staple in homes. I'd love to have copies or see it show up on YouTube.

I loved it. Tom was wonderful and although I was almost an adult, I never missed "Make a Wish". There is so much unsuccessful garbage available on DVD and this just molds in a film vault? A travesty. I never knew for sure that Tom and Harry were brothers, but I suspected as much. The music that Tom did, his engaging manner was really refreshing, particularly when Vietnam was the predominant 'entertainment' on TV.

I also just noticed that the nice looking fellow in the remake of "The Manchurian Candidate" was Tom Chapin...go figure!

ABC: Give it to me and I'll release it. Do you need my address or shall I just drop by with a wheelbarrow and pick it up?

Was Tom Chapin related to Harry Chapin?

The last line of the theme went:

"Make a wish, so come with me, I think a (blank) is what I'll be!" (insert the theme of the programme where the blank is).

For example, an edition about crosses would have heard Tom Chapin say "I'll make a wish, so come with me, I think a cross is what I'll be".

Can't remember any individual themes, though. I was about eight or nine at the time.

My mother would ask "How can you BE a cross/wall/snake" or whatever!

Don't remember all that much about it - it went out on ITV, though.

A fast-paced half-hour of associations and word play from a different word each week.

Imagine Monty Python's "Word Association Football" played not as much for laughs, and for a full half-hour. Just amazing stuff. I wish this was available on DVD, it's such a treasure.

Host Tom Chapin later made an album of children's songs. Not nearly as interesting but fun nonetheless.

Some segments of the show were voiced by Mason Adams and a woman whose name I can't remember. These were typically in-depth studies of a particular sub-subject of the show.

I always just loved this show and was sad when it was over. It should be on DVD to be enjoyed by my grandchildren. It was a unique way to look at words. I really made you think. There is so little in the way of 'human' Saturday morning TV, the we need shows like this to be on for the next generation.

The host, Tom Chapin, would begin with one word and free associate for the duration on the show accompanied by changing photos and illustrations. Although it was very educational, it was also very strange. So much so that my dad felt that it must be drug related and made me change channels whenever he caught me watching it.

It was a little too abstract for me since I was only 5 or 6 at the time. But my father liked the "Fly High" song referred to in another comment. He frequently used to quote the phrase "if you want it, you can get it...but to get it, you've got to want it".

I woke up this morning and went to see if this was listed here on the IMDb. I thought maybe I had remembered it wrong, but here it is! I loved this show! Someone here mentioned something about this show being compared to an oddity show. That is something like I remember also. But I do remember the singing and word play too. One thing though that I am pretty sure of is watching this show on our local (Sacramento) channel 13 which at that time was ABC, but it was shown on Saturday at 1PM. I am pretty sure that was right at least regionally and for the fact that I was alone mostly watching because everyone else (3 brothers and 1 sister) were out playing. This was probably 1973 or '74. Glad to see it is at least listed here with some people remembering it! UPDATE! Just went to youtube and found the opening and closing for the show! Just like I remembered!