Hi There Boys and Girls! Tell me your stories about local TV hosts!

[Radio_Lady]

When you were younger, did you watch a specific LOCAL television host for a children's show in your area?

I am seeking to include your memories in an audio program I'm planning to record next Friday, May 20, 2005. If your story is chosen, I'll send you information on how to hear the show.

My guest will be Tim Hollis, who wrote a book on this subject called "Hi There Boys and Girls: America's Local Children's TV Programs." You can read about this book at his publisher's web site, which is:
http://www.upress.state.ms.us/catalog/fall2001/hi_there_boys_and_girls!.html

I will give credit to you and the Democratic Underground, as well as reading your story on the show. I do appreciate your interest and participation!

One of the reasons that I'm asking for this -- I was a children's show co-host in the late 1950's -- "Popeye Playhouse" produced for WTVJ, Miami, Florida. I took care of about 100 children in the studio, served Royal Castle hamburgers and Pepsi Cola, and ran some of the puppets.

Here's a photo of me and the crew -- no, you're not seeing double, there were a lot of twins in the audience that day.



Please post your replies here if you wish to participate. You may also PM me through the next week.

I look forward to hearing from YOU!

"Keep A Smile" -- Radio_Lady

[Radio_Lady]

1. May I give this a little --

kick for the evening crowd?

Anyone want to tell me their story? It's a pretty busy night on the DU.

[XanaDUer]

2. Do you remember Skipper Chuck?

and the weather guy who read the sunday funnies on Sunday, Miami Channel 7?

[Radio_Lady]

5. Yep, I do -- that's him! I was his "First Mate" !

The guy who read the funnies was Charlie Baxter, I think.

[Radio_Lady]

6. I didn't know Charlie Baxter that well, but knew him enough to be --

sad when he passed away too young.

[XanaDUer]

9. In the mid-70s

when I was a kid, there was a young, thin tall man who became the first mate. You have really brought back the memories.

[Radio_Lady]

22. That might have been Scruffy the Clown -- I don't recall his real name.

Then there was Annie, a young gal who was there for a long while after I left.

[Radio_Lady]

89. Anyone else from Florida in this thread? What are your memories?

[gater]

3. On Sunday mornings on WNEW (I think) in NYC, there was Wonderama.

It was a forerunner of Nick. They had games, and musicians, and cartoons. I wish I could remember the hosts name, but I had a lot of fun at the Pink Floyd Wall show night three at the Nassau Coliseum!

[XanaDUer]

11. Do you remember a local NYC show

called the Birthday Club (?)

The theme song lyrics were soemthing like "Hi Mike (microphone), Hi, Mike, I like to say hi Mike..."?

[no_hypocrisy]

45. Yeah, it was hosted by Paul Tripp.

[Radio_Lady]

78. Former "Mr. I. Magination" -- Paul Tripp -- hosted "Birthday Party" on

Channel 4 from 1963 to 1966, encouraging kids to greet the studio boom microphone with a "Hi, Mike!"

Paul Tripp was a multi-talented performer who was seen on WCBS as far back as 1949 with his now-classic children's show, "Mr. I. Magination." While that show did have a short run as a NY-only show, not long after its introduction it was picked up by the incipient CBS-TV network (which at the time consisted of only four stations) and by the early 1950s was one of the hookup's best-known juvenile programs. By 1954, that glory had faded, and Tripp was back to local television as host of "On The Carousel."

[Radio_Lady]

12. Looks like a fellow named Bob McAllister took over in the 1960's --

He was a radio personality at WJZ, then moved on to Baltimore for a while, and then to NYC. Most memorable were his characters of "Professor Fingleheimer" and superhero "Mike Fury" (who assessed himself as "courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, friendly, brave, and a goody").

[no_hypocrisy]

46. Wonderama was originally hosted by NYC personality Sonny Fox, then

Bob McAllister took over.

Sonny Fox had a great rapport with kids of all ages. The theme song for his version of "Wonderama" was "I'm Gonna Learn to Read and Write" from the then popular Broadway musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". And geez, he sure gave away a lot of Hebrew National Franks and Eminee Organs.

[Radio_Lady]

77. "Wonderama" -- more history -- it's quite unique!

Sandy Becker, described as a handsome, deep-voiced figure in suit and tie, was the original host of a long-running (in more ways than one) WABC show called "Wonderama" -- the one-word title was the only short thing about the program, which, upon its premiere on September 25, 1955, WABD used to fill up the ENTIRE PERIOD between noon and 6:00 PM. Yes, "Wonderama" was originally a six-hour Sunday afternoon program, with Becker as the emcee. At the end of each sixty minute block, he would remind kids to ask their parents if it was okay for them to keep watching, since even at that time there was concern about little tykes being converted into junior couch tater-tots.

By the early 1960s, "Wonderama" had been reduced to four hours each Sunday (9:00 AM to 1:00 PM) and the host was the considerably more staid Sonny Fox. For some reason, Fox's tenure with "Wonderama" is the least recalled, perhaps because he was not the most flamboyant personality in town. In 1967, he was replaced by Bob McAllister, a former host from Norfolk and Baltimore, and while McAllister only led "Wonderama" through its final ten years, he is the host mot former viewers associate with the show.

[Mizmoon]

87. self delete

.

[Mizmoon]

86. Kids are people too! Wacka-do wacka-do wacka-do!

:)

[Pendrench]

96. I remember seeing Monty Python on Wonderama....

Of course I didn't know who "Monty Python" was at the time...but they were actually in the studio with Bob and the kids, and I think they showed a couple of clips from their show.

Tim

[phaseolus]

4. I think they had disappeared from Milwaukee by the time I was growing up..

Only thing I really remember -- the cheesy horror movie show was hosted by a "Dr. Cadaverino" character portrayed by Jack DuBlon, who also did a cat puppet thing for weather broadcasts for years and years. More on DuBlon -- http://www.milwaukee-horror-hosts.com/dublon.html

...and on an unrelated note, with a name like 'Radio Lady' you really need to read this insightful essay
http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20050523&s=keillor
if you haven't already.

[Radio_Lady]

63. Phaseolus, I neglected to thank you for the great Garrison Keillor link --

He's a very thoughtful writer and I enjoyed reading this piece. I'm affiliated with a PBS station in Oregon, (KOPB) -- and they run the "Writer's Almanac" each weekeday.

Wonder if he's right -- will radio be left to megastations, which burn themselves out -- and then their functions will be taken over by Sirius Satellite and others -- as well as the Internet? How sad!

However, on a happier note, we have a great deal of fun on "Golden Hours" -- an SAP (Secondary Audio Programming) feature and Internet broadcasting here in Oregon. We estimate our available audience is 80,000 to 100,000 people.

To hear the service, go to:

http://www.opb.org/programs/streams

Choose one of the media players in the MIDDLE of the page, which should connect you to our 24/7 audio feed.

[tuvor]

7. Anyone remember Popcorn Playhouse out of Edmonton?

Klondike Eric hosted, and Muskeg the Moose answered riddles from the kids...

They featured the cartoon Batfink, and played reruns of Batman. Batgirl made me feel...funny.

Memories.

[Radio_Lady]

23. Tim Hollis covers a "Popcorn Playhouse" in Zanesville, Ohio --

I'm afraid Tim Hollis didn't talk to anyone in Edmonton, Canada.

I guess Batgirl was the first to get you, well, "batty" == right?

[blue neen]

8. There was a show in Pittsburgh called "Adventure Time".

The hosts name was Paul Shannon. He used to play this character called Nosmo King who snuck around the studio with a Groucho-type nose and glasses on. I was an adult before I realized Nosmo King stood for NO SMOKING!

"Adventure Time" always showed the Three Stooges. We loved it. Paul would say to his studio audience of Brownies or Cub Scouts:
"Here's the Magic Curtain. Down goes the curtain and back up again for "The Three Stooges" (or Kimba, the White Lion, etc.)

At Christmas time he had a rocket ship that would take letters to Santa Claus.

Such an innocent time.

[Radio_Lady]

18. Paul Shannon was on Channel 4, WTAE.

"Unlike many long-running hosts, Shannon did not play a specific character or attempt to alter his appearance in any way; his appeal came strictly from his naturally enjoyable personality and demeanor. (On certain occasions, he would don a sinister outfit and become villian "Nosmo King," but that was hardly his main focus.) He was one of the earliest boosters for the Muscular Distrophy Association's Backyard Carnivals program and served as another type of early booster as well: in the late 1950s, the Three Stooges films were added to his programming mix, and their success encouraged the lamebrained trio to revive their act for a whole new generation."

Tim Hollis, "Hi There, Boys and Girls" pg. 244

[HeeBGBz]

10. We had two that I remember

From the tv stations of Springfield, MO.

Captain Briney/Wayne Grisham



He played cartoons, had local kids on the show and had a monkey on his shoulder named Salty.

The other was "Aunt Norma" Champion.



Who had the puppets Skinny McGinnis and Rusty Rooster. They used to show cartoons and do birthday wishes. She is now a Missouri state senator of the Republican persuasion.

I can't remember which of the two I watched in the morning and which was afternoon.

I remember they showed a series of about 10 ancient cartoons that they played so often that my sisters and I had them memorized word for word. We still quote those cartoons every now and then 40+ years later. I would LOVE to find those cartoons somewhere.

[Radio_Lady]

25. "Aunt Norma" was the host of "The Children's Hour" on KYGTV,

Channel 3 for nearly thirty years. Norma Champion was every child's favorite babysitter -- quoting now from the book. "The title of the show, by the way, had nothing to do with the length of the program, which was sometimes thirty minutes or forty-five monutes, but was instead lifted from the famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow."

Norma Champion succeeded two other women, Rene Handley and Alice Lowe, who apparently did not get along.

Looks like they used the old Warner Brothers cartoon package.

KTTS, Channel 10, tried to compete by installing Wayne Grisham hosting "Captain Briny" and former "Children's Hour" host Rene Handley in "Birthday Party". But, strangely, KTTS's longest-running program that was technically classified as a children's show was Television Classroom, which took viewers inside the area's schools, where classes would perform or otherwise show whatever it was they were doing in between recess and manufacturing spitballs.

[HeeBGBz]

43. I remember Aunt Rene too.

I remember her name was pronounced Aunt Reen.

Ah yes, the Children's Hour. Stunted my perception and education of time measuring elements. I remember the theme song.

I loved Rusty the Rooster but I thought Skinny McGinnis was a goober. He annoyed me.

[TlalocW]

13. In Wichita, Kansas

There was a Santa show every Christmas time, and the guy who played Santa WAS Santa - had it down pat. He did it for at least two to three decades because my sister and brother-in-law (14 years older than I am) remembered him when they were kids. Anyway, his co-host was an elf hand puppet - very simple, face always frozen in a smile, only the arms had any kind of movement. His name was first "Cake Man" I think as he was a baker elf, but to me, he was always Toy Boy as that was the winning name they chose from a contest they had.

Every show, Santa would go over to a fancy cupboard on the wall and open it to show one of the toys that was out for Christmas (clever little marketing), and Toy Boy and he would later bring out a small slate with the number of days left until Santa went, "ZOOMING AROUND THE WORLD! ZOOMING AROUND THE WORLD!" which is what Toy Boy would yell while twirling his head to get his hat tassle to twirl until he was dizzy.

Anyway, the actor died a few years ago, and the local CBS affiliate I believe ran a bunch of shows. One of them was from the 1970s as the puppet was still Cake Man and started a mini-argument between my sister and brother-in-law and me. They're very conservative, and on that show we watched, Santa read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible, and they were amazed, exclaiming, "You can't go on television and do that anymore." To which I said, "Linus does it every year during the Peanuts Christmas Special." We went back and forth a bit, and I ended with, "The networks can show just about anything they want within certain standards, which the story of Jesus' birth certainly falls within. The government isn't keeping them from doing it - their bottom line is. If they feel that they can make more money from Frosty than Jesus, guess who wins out?"

Not so heart-warming there at the end. :)

TlalocW

[Radio_Lady]

26. That was KAKE who invited kids into "Santa's Toyshop" during

the Christmas season. Henry "Freddy Fudd" Harvey was the jolly old elf, costarring with a puppet character named Cakeman (to tie in with the call letters of the station). David's department store in Wichita sponsored Kriss Kringle's visits and also provided the toys that stocked the shop.

John Froome was seen as "the Old Cobbler," a character straight out of "The Shoemaker and the Elves," while several teachers held classes in KAKE's "Romper Room." The best-remembered one, with a tenure of some eight years, was Francis Lee.

[TlalocW]

42. Hey, I remember Freddy Fudd too

I didn't know he and Santa were one and the same.

I remember he showed cartoons from his treehouse, didn't he?

TlalocW

[Left Is Write]

14. Casey Jones.

http://www.lunchwithcasey.com/about_the_show.html

I remember coming home from morning kindergarten and being allowed to eat my lunch on a TV tray so I could watch Casey Jones.

[Radio_Lady]

27. Engineer "Casey Jones" played by Roger Awsumb, was the host

of "Lunch with Casey" from the cab of his locomotive, Engine 11 on Track 11 (all on Channel 11, of course). Fittingly, a highlight of each day's show was the delivery of lunch from one of Awsumb's restaurant sponsors, including McDonald's and Shakey's Pizza.

Casey's original sidekick while he was workin' on the railroad (and lunch) was "Joe the Cook," played by Chris Wedes. Wedes jumped the track in 1958, and was replaced by Lynn Dwyer as "Roundhouse Rodney." Dwyer's multitude of wacky characterizations, played against Casey/Awsumb's low-key demeanor, kept the train rolling until the final show in December 1972.

[Beausoir]

41. Roger Awsumb..

What a terrific guy. I actually got to meet him a few years ago at at MN Broadcasters Hall of Fame ceremony. My father was inducted, posthumously. Roger was inducted that night as well, along with a bunch of other MN "noteables". I was absolutely gobsmacked when I saw him. I grew up with Casey. He looked almost exactly the same as he did back in the early 70's.

To this day, I sing the Casey Jones' Birthday song to my kids.

Happy happy birthday to every girl and boy.
Hope this very special day brings you lots of joy.
Hope the birthday presents you get from mom and dad
will make this very special day the best you've ever had.

He passed away, up here near Brainerd, not long after I met him.
Nice NICE man.

[Left Is Write]

58. I like to sing that song too.

I have very happy memories of having my lunch with Casey Jones.

[MidwestMomma]

15. Anyone remember Torey and Old Gus?

It was an after school show in Kansas City in the 60's. Torey (not sure of the spelling) was a young man and Old Gus was a old man puppet. (Boy was I sad when I found out Gus was a PUPPET!)

They played cartoons. I can't remember if there were kids on the show.

We also had Whizzo the Clown. I think he local too but not sure?

Gosh my memory is so bad. Maybe someone else remembers more details about these 2 shows.

edited to add:

The Whizzo theme song just popped into my head. Well part of it anyway. :)

Who's the clown who's (something something something I can't remember!)

It's Whizzo!

He'll sing a song and do a dance for you.
And when you're sad he'll make you glad
They very best friend you'll ever have
Whizzo the clown that's who.

Dang...how does that song start?

[Radio_Lady]

30. The biggest star KMBC ever had -- with the biggest feet as well --

was "Whizzo the Clown," star of "Whizzo's Wonderland" beginning in 1955. No mere "announcer in a clown suit," Frank Wiziarde was a consummate professional clown whose show was comprised of so many interlocking elements that it almost defies description.

One really outstanding thing about his Whizzo costume, alluded to above, was his feet. Almost all clowns wear big shoes, but Whizzo's "shoes" were actually in the form of gigantic bare feet, with king-sized toes to match. This gave him a great opportunity to do a comic routine whenever a child accidentally stepped on one of his "feet."

Wiziarde eventually moved his show to WIBW in Topeka, Kansas. It was still on the air until only a month before he passed away in September 1987. To paraphrase an expression usually applied to gunslingers of the Wild West, he died with his big feet on.

KMBC's other long-running star was bespectacled Torey Southwick. He was the most ordinary-looking individual imaginable, but as host of "Torey and Friends," he certainly hung out with some of the most interesting people. His neighborhood, Kid Center U.S.A., was hojme to a next-door neighbor named Ol' Gus, who could have been a resident of anyone's neighborhood if it had not been for his small size and wooden head. Kansas City kids were known to debate endlessly over whether or not Southwick was in reality the voice and operator behind Ol' Gus, but even his biggest fans had to admit that it was strange that the two of them never appeared on screen together!

[peekaloo]

16. Adventures with Uncle Walt from Orlando

I vaguely remember this show but my brothers used to watch this in the early to mid '60's, I believe. Mothers used to write in to tell Uncle Walt that their child ate all their dinner so he would mention them on the air. The Clean Plate Club it was called.

It was most memorable because my brothers both swear that Uncle Walt once asked some giggling boys what they were laughing about and one of the kids replied, "Leroy farted". Live, on air.

}(

WDBO was the station and the host was named Walt Sickles. I don't expect this lil gem to be in your collection but it still makes me giggle. :dunce:

[Radio_Lady]

35. There are a lot of stories like this -- unconfirmed -- about what

children actually said on live television. Personally, I know of at least a couple of vomiting and wind-breaking episodes during the times I was on television. Those lights in the studios were hot, kids were excited and ate quickly -- and voila! another run to the bathroom to get the mop or spray the scent of oranges instead of you-know-what!

From the book "When Orlando got its first TV station in 1954, WDBO (today WCPX) Channel 6, the town was completely surrounded by orange groves rather than theme parks. WDBO's first and foremost children's program for many years was "Uncle Walt." Yes, at least a decade before another Walt found Orlando, Walt Sickles was entertaining the local childtren on his daily program. Details about the show are sketchy and depend largely upon the ear in which it was viewed. It did change with the times, going with a science fiction-spaceship theme during the 1960s, but seems to have finally ended around 1970."

[democracyindanger]

17. Ramblin' Rod in Portland, OR

He wore a skipper's hat, too. What is it with the naval theme?

He had a smile contest every show, where the kids would smile for the camera and a winner would be chosen. When I went with my Cub Scout troop, my best friend won the contest. The prize was a case of Pop Shoppe soda pop.

My friend was a diabetic.

I think that's when I became a cynic.

[Radio_Lady]

36. The naval theme was a result of the "Popeye" cartoon package --

which caused many hosts across the country to be "Captains" or "Skippers" or "First Mates".

There's quite a bit in Tim Hollis' book about hosts in Portland, Oregon, but "Ramblin' Rod" was just mentioned briefly as host Rod Anders on KPTV.

Someone should have told them not to give that friend a soda pop. It must have been before the addition of saccharin as a sweetener in drinks, later generally found to be carcinogenic, and replaced by aspartame.

Sorry you're a cynic. Usually people who enjoy children's antics grow up to be liberals, not cynics!

[democracyindanger]

37. Interesting

about the Popeye package. Makes a lot of sense.

As for the soda pop, he knew he couldn't drink it, and his mom kept it next to the back door for when friends like me would visit.

But to tell the truth, I became a cynic because my smile was better than his, dammit.

[solinvictus]

19. Sergeant Jack here in Birmingham, AL..

He was a local host who had a kids show with old Popeye cartoons.A friend of mine had a birthday party at one of the tapings and I was among the guests. This was circa 1974, I remember little of the day except that my mom had me dressed in a green polyester kids leisure suit. Gotta love the fashion then!

Hollis wrote a book a few years back about another local, Cousin Cliff. Cousin Cliff was before my time, but he was a contemporary of Sergeant Jack. Both of them were sponsored by Jack's Hamburgers (no relation), a local fast food chain. Here's their corporate site where they mention Sergeant Jack and Cousin Cliff: http://www.eatatjacks.com/about.htm.

Here's a photo of Sergeant Jack from 1966, which was when Cousin Cliff was in his heyday:

[Radio_Lady]

73. "When UHF station WBMG, Channel 42, went on the air in late 1965,

they needed a host for the Dick Tracy and Mr. Magoo cartoons they had leased. In stepped a towering radio disc jockey, Neal Miller, who wore an authentic Jefferson County sheriff's uniform and became "Sergeant Jack." He was, of course, named after the local Jack's Hamburgers drive-in chain that sponsored most of Birmingham kid shows, and was actually sworn in as a county deputy, allowing him to legally wear the official uniform.

Miller's program was logged as "The Dick Tracy Show" for the first few years of its run, becoming "The Sergeant Jack Show" in the early 1970s. The original set was designed to look like the interior of a police station (complete with jail cells), but by 1971 that had been replaced by an absolutely psychedelic backdrop that definitely showed the influence of the "flower power" age (and perhaps a few other substances as well)."

Others who appeared on the show were: (Puppets) -- Con man Wilbur the Groundhog and his accomplice Oscar the Yellow Monkey, conceived and run by WBMG art director Howard Cruse. When Cruse left the show to pursue an art career in New York, he was replaced by Ted Lowry, who conceived Sneezer the Mouse; Salvadore, the world's oldest man; Oliver, the nearsignted lion; husband-and-wife frogs Burt and Donna; and Reggie, the mynah bird. Sergeant Jack inherited Popeye cartoons and continued in its afternoon run until September 1976. Then, it was programmed sporadically on weekends for the next few years, but eventually lost its puppets and live audience. By the time of its final broadcast in June 1982, "The Sergeant Jack Show" consisted only of Miller sitting in front of a curtain and introducing the Popeye cartoons.

[Radio_Lady]

20. I'll need a day or two to get this organized -- and respond to you!

Right now, I've got two grandchildren waiting to brush teeth and say good night.

[Radio_Lady]

21. Keep your stories coming! This is terrific -- ah, Tom Terrific!

[spacelady]

70. and mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog!

[Radio_Lady]

74. Yes, Tom Terrific was from the Terrytoons cartoon factory!!! n/t

[enigmatic]

24. Cleveland Legends

Ghoulardi, of course:



Houlihan And Big Chuck



Superhost



and my God as a kid, The Ghoul



Man, I miss this kind of stuff..

[Lindsay]

44. You must be too young to remember

Captain Penny (Ron Penfound). He wore a train engineer's outfit and my earliest recollection of his shows was of lots of Little Rascals films. He also had the Clean Plate Club, which meant you had to eat all the food your mom put in front of you. And there was Captain Penny's Law: "You can fool some of the people all of the time...and all of the people some of the time...but you can't fool Mom!"

BTW, a neighbor of mine was good friends with the Ghoul, Ron Swede, when they were in high school. (They were a few years younger than I.)

[johnnie]

59. I remember Captain Penny

I was really young when he went off the air.
Another Cleveland television show for children was Mr. Jingeling. And of course there was Barnaby.

[Radio_Lady]

66. WEWS's biggest star turned out to be "The Captain Penny Show"

with an engineer who pulled into the station in 1954. Played by Ron Penfound, "Captain Penny" became big bucks over the years his show ran. Film features included the "Three Stooges" (beginning in 1959), which Penfound consistently billed as "Larry, Curly, and Moe" instead of the more accepted "Moe, Larry, and Curly." (Larry no doubt welcomed the opportunity to get out of his "middle Stooge" rut.)

"Captain Penny" also had many live-action guests. Two of the most frequent were "Jungle Larry" Tetzlaff and his wife, "Safari Jane," curators of exotic animal exhibits at a couple of Cleveland amusement parks. Also from the four-footed world came "Pooch Parade," which had begun as a WEWS show of its own but found greater success when incorporated into Captain Penny's program.

"The Captain Penny Show" lasted until 1972, when so many other shows also came to the end of their lines. Ron Penfound passed away just two years later at the comparatively young age of forty-seven. The memory and wisdom of his daily sign-off will never die: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool Mom. She's pretty nice and she's pretty smart... you listen to her and you won't go wrong."

[enigmatic]

75. Captain Cleveland and Clarence, too...

He was on WKBF Channel 61 in Cleveland from 68-70, I think; I barely remember the show but I used to watch it every afternoon after school...

[steely]

28. Out of Philly (in the 60's) we had...

Pixanne - mornings at 9? (I was in school)
Gene London ('s Cartoon Corners) - poor sad sack who did Arts and crafts - he's in the fashion industry I think in NYC now. Saw him at the mall when I was a kid. (He patted my head).
Sally Star(r?) - A classic - Cowgirl - ran the stooges / Popeye - she's retired (and Loved) in NJ
Happy the Clown - had kids on and you got a pair of these sticks to bang together - he had a big electrically lit Birthday Cake - they used to mess with the lights on it.
Lorenzo the Clown - mime
Doctor Shock (Shocky Doc) - Wknd nite horror movies with campy humor
Wee Willy Weber (Bill Weber) on UHF (ooo) - after school cartoons - Tobor - Speed racer

[Radio_Lady]

94. Philadelphia (children's) stories -- from "Hi There, Boys and Girls"...

"Philadelphia is generally recognized as the fourth largest TV market in the nation, ranking justafter New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. Befitting its status, early in its broadcasting history, Philadelphia declared its independence from what was being done elsewhere, and as a result it had some of the most unique children's shows of all.

WCAU host Gene London was not suited to everyone's taste, but his "Cartoon Corners" program certainly made an impression one way or another. London was seen as the clerk in a small-town general store, where he had to deal with his grouchy offscreen boss, Mr. Dibley, and the mysterious goings-on at nearby Quigley Mansion, a haunted house in which the Addams Family would have felt at home. London would use everyday objects lying around to improvise stories which were usually based on classic fairy tales; occasionally more elaborate productions were attempted...

Another literature classic was the basis for WCAU's second big show of the 1960s. It began when Jane Norman decided that with her background in the theater, she would be great at creating her own children's show. When the WCAU management asked her what sort of show she had in mind, she explained that she had always felt she could outdo Mary Martin in the famous Broadway version of "Peter Pan," so in her concept, she would be a female Peter Pan, complegte with elfin costume and the power of flight.

Her character, "Pixanne," ended up as a sort of hybrid of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, but the pixilated pixie was so cute that a generation of Philadelphia boys fell in love with her immediately. A flying host was a tall order for a local TV station, but Ms. Norman called in an expert: Peter Foy, who had devised Mary Martin's flying for the Broadway play that started it all. "He put me in a harness," says Ms. Norman, "and we taped all the flying sequences I ever used in one eight-hour day. At the end of that day, I looked like I had been in an auto accident." Sharing Pixanne's home in the Enchanted Forest were such puppet friends as Windy Witch and Oggie Owl.

Pixanne managed to keep 'em flying until 1969, when WCAU canceled the show in order to redirect its priorities toward adults. Today, the former flying fairy continues performing as a singer in the Philadelphia area, although she does remain decidedly earthbound."

(Pgs. 238-244 on Philadelphia in "Hi There, Boys and Girls")

[Beware the Beast Man]

29. There was this one guy on in Pittsburgh.

Can't seem to recall...what was his name? :)

[blue neen]

31. Weren't we lucky to have him?

What a great show. :)

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in our neighborhood.

[Beware the Beast Man]

33. The man was a saint.

I was really heartbroken the day I found out he died.

[blue neen]

34. A truly good man gone way too soon.

[Radio_Lady]

38. He may be gone from this world, but he's still on OPB -- Channel 10

here in Portland, Oregon. You can see him on:

Next Episode
Mister Rogers Talks About Fast And Slow Things
(TV) Monday, May 16 at 11:30 AM

http://www.opb.org/programs/program.php?id=16880

[GalleryGod]

49. Fred addressed the graduating class of Goucher College in MD

when I worked in the Administration,there, in the early 90's.
The Senior Class selected their Commencement Speaker. Hopkins had Kissinger, Towson University had Colin Powell, we had Mr. Rogers!

[Radio_Lady]

62. Great story, Gallery God! I'll research the ones you mentioned ASAP!

[MountainLaurel]

100. West Virginia University in 1995

I was a December 1994 grad, and it's only fitting that Fred Rogers was my college commencement speaker: Without him, and Sesame Street, and the Electric Company to foster my imagination and love of learning, I'd probably have gotten knocked up at 18 and working at the FBI fingerprint place in WV as a clerk like half my cousins.

But when Rogers's name was announced as a cue for him to go to the podium, someone began singing the theme to his show . . . 12,000-plus people in the Coliseum joined in and sang the entire song to him.

[Radio_Lady]

92. "Life is for service..." a Fred Rogers' quote I happened upon today --

"At the center of the Universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything that we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service."

- Fred Rogers (a.k.a., "Mister Rogers") 1928-2003

[Crazy Guggenheim]

32. I think Salty O'Brine (R.I.P) had his own show for a while. He on

WPRO in R.I.

[Radio_Lady]

39. Here's the skinny on Salty Brine from Tim Hollis' book:

"In the early 1940s, WPRO Radio first broadcast the voice of an individual who would become a Rhode Island legend. He was Walter Brine, but early in his radio career he had picked up the nickname "Salty," and Salty Brine he had been ever since. It would be difficult to imagine a more appropriate name befitting Rhode Island's colorful seaboard reputation, and when WPRO-TV hauled in the Popeye cartoons in 1957, who would be better than Salty Brine to serve as their host?

"Salty Brine's Shack" was a true smash in Providence, with Brine's genuinely warm and friendly personality keeping it afloat. Sharing the shack, which was decorated to look like a typical fisherman's cottage by the seaside, was Brine's faithful collie, Jeff. -- Another resident was "Dancing Bojangles," a figure suspended from a black coat hanger; when the lights were turned off and Bojangles was illuminated, he could be made to dance up a typhoon.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

40. I remember Jeff the collie. Wow! When I visted R.I. in the

early 80's we eating at the "Twin Oaks" and he came up and talked to my father. Wow!

[GalleryGod]

47. Philly's own, "Our Gal Sal" ...SALLY STARR! & Popeye Theatre

She's still doing weekend DJing on a 5,000 watt station out of Vineland New Jersey!

[Radio_Lady]

65. Sally Starr's biography from "Hi There, Boys and Girls" ---

Sally Starr, on WFIL, was a cowgirl with long blond hair, a blue-and-white Western outfit, and a million-watt smile. She was also known as "Aunt Sally" and she was one of the most popular local hosts in the entire nation, yet putting together the story of her career is like trying to reassemble a long-demolished Western bunkhouse in the Arizona desert. Over the years, much has been written about Sally Starr, but in every article or interview, the dates and the sequence of events change. Her 1994 autobiography "Me, Thee and TV" is more of a memoir about her personal life and does not dwell on specific dates. Therefore, from these various sources, we can gather the following:

Missouri native Sally Starr first came to Philadelphia as the wife of the much-maligned Jesse Rogers, the often-soused "Ranger Joe" of Channel 3. After many years of abuse, she left Rogers and became a country music disk jockey, which is how she was making a living when WFIL approached her about hosting an afternoon children's show. Apparently, the program first featured Western movies, but by 1957, WFIL had tossed the "Popeye" cartoon package Sally's way, and it was with the tattooed tar that she would be most closely associated for the next decade or more.

WFIL cancelled Sally Starr and "Popeye Theatre" in 1971 in one stroke. She briefly revived the snow on one of the UHF outlets, Channel 29, but that did not last long. Her life immediately thereafter became a nightmare, plagued by financial troubles, unsuccessful business ventures, and a fire that destroyed her home and all of her accumulated memorabilia (explaining the dearth of vintage Starr material available today). Ms. Starr is nothing if not an optimist, however, and even after a devastating heart attack in 1994, she has continued to stay in the public eye, hosting a radio show and basking in the recognition of her former little fans. She still leaves them with her signature sign-off from the WFIL days, "Love, luck, and lollipops!"

[GalleryGod]

48. Oooooooops! I forgot the "Happy the Clown Show"

Where he drove the kids around in "Chippy the Chipmunk" which was basically a lawn tractor with the trailer:rofl: :spray:

Met Happy, himself, on Long Beach Island in the 70's:+
He was not pleasant-to say the least:silly:

[salin]

50. There were two in Indianapolis

Cowboy Bob (and chuckwagon, his horse), and Janie and Friends. Actually I think Janie's show had a different name originally, though I don't recall.

This is so cloudy in the memory - maybe one was in the morning and one was in the afternoon? Both were on the air simultaneously.

More important to slightly older kids was a character who did weekend (saturday night) spooky movies. "Sammy Terry" doesn't have a show anymore but he still has a huge following.

No story really (well - late night scare fest stories per Sammy Terry - but that isn't what this thread is about)

Just wanted to see if there was any info on these shows - or anyone else who remembers Cowboy Bob and Chuckwagon (which earlier I refered to as a dog, but now I redcall it was his horse.)

[mitchum]

51. Mr Monty and Doohickey in Greenville, SC

[Longgrain]

52. From the 1970s myself but...

One such show I remember from the Boston area during the seventies was "Jabberwocky". It was actually an educational show and, if I'm not mistaken, it was produced by Brandais University. Jo Beth William (you know, the mother from Poltergeist) was one of the hosts. There was also a kindly old inventor/ handy man, called Doc or something like that, who presided over the show.

But the weirdest part, admist all the human actors, was a giant Muppet with a huge nose and a gruff voice named Dirty Frank. He was apparently supposed to be hippie or something with long dirty hair and a scraggly beard. His nose and eyes were the only parts of him not covered with hair. Dirty Frank was usually behind a giant box that he would come out of and talk.

I tried goggling but the closest reference to the show I could find was here...

http://www.tvparty.com/lostboston.html

only a brief mention toward the bottom.

I hope this helps.

[crispini]

53. Great picture of you!

I'm not old enough, but everyone I know who's a Dallas native remembers Mr. Peppermint. He's still around and did a charity show not too long ago. Father of Gibby Haynes, the lead singer of the Butthole Surfers -- now how's that for weird?

[Radio_Lady]

54. Have YOU posted your story? I'll be reading all I can on --

Oregon Public Broadcasting's "Golden Hours" available on the Internet. This program is TENTATIVELY scheduled to air on Monday, May 23, 2005 at 1 PM Pacific Time/4 PM Eastern Time. Please convert for your own time zone.

To hear "Golden Hours" programming, a 24/7 audio service, go to:

http://www.opb.org/programs/streams

Choose one of the media player in the MIDDLE of the page. Any one of them should connect you to the streaming audio.

I will mention your "screen name" and story (time permitting) if you post here in the coming week. Appreciate your memories and recognizing that lost breed, the local children's show TV hosts of America!

[maveric]

55. Major Mudd, Captain Bob, Big Brother Bob Emery, Boston TV 60's.

Major Mudd was a goofy astronaut who had a few skits and played Three Stooges films.

Captain Bob, the old sea captain told old sea tales, frew and painted and showed Popeye cartoons.

Big Brother was an older gentleman who flayed a folk-style guitar, sang, had real kids on his show and showed Popeye cartoons.

Rex Trailer. A cowboy dude who had kids on his, games for the kids, did rope and bullwhip tricks, had a sidekick named Pablo(Ethnic slur),later Sgt. Billy after Pablo's early death.

[evlbstrd]

56. I was Seabag the Clown

on a kiddie show in (seriously) Guantanamo Bay in 1975.
The only cartoons kids got on the base came from the Cuban television broadcasts, all in Spanish. So, we did our own show.
Unfortunately, I have no pictures or tapes.

[TheMightyFavog]

60. I can see a modern day twisted version of a show like that right now....

Hey kids, do you see this? That's right, it's a cattle prod. today, we're going to use it to get mean old Achmed to tell us where his friends are.

[evlbstrd]

61. Yikes!

There were a few kids that I would have...
Never mind.
I guess kids thought clowns were indesructible. I took a lot of physical abuse. And had to keep laughing.

[henslee]

57. in ny. there was officer joe bolton and a skipper who used to

ring a bell. They hosted cartoon shows which sometimes showed little rascals.

In Los Angeles, CA, there was pinky lee and hobo kelly.

[gardenista]

64. Captain 20, on a DC channel

I entered a contest, filling out about 100 entries, to be sure I would win, and watched the show every single day, waiting to be chosen. Finally the day came when he announced the winner, and he picked ME! ME! ME!!!!!! All of my hard work had paid off. I was thrilled as I saw him dial my phone number to announce my big win! Upstairs, out of earshot, my mother answered the phone, and the call went something like this:

C20: Hello, this is Captain 20, I'd like to speak to my lucky winner, M_______.
MOM: Who is this????
C20: Why, it's Captain 20, ma'am, and I want to speak to your daughter.
MOM: I don't know you, what the hell do you want with my daughter?
C20: She won a contest.
MOM: I don't know about any contests. Shove off, pervert!

..........dial tone.............

By this time I'm screaming in the background, "Let me talk to him, It's Captain 20!"

My mom finally figured out that she had blown my big chance to win the big prize, whatever it was, can't remember now. Probably a chance to get a private tour of the studio with Captain 20.

[spacelady]

67. Okay, Radio Lady, here goes...

in the early to mid-70's every youngster who had TV and could access KOLN-KGIN In Lincoln Nebraska would tune in to Kalamity Kate's Cartoon Corral which had local kids in the audience, puppets & a silent deputy. Kalamity Kate was played by Leta Powell Drake who wore many hats at the station. I knew the corral well...

[ChoralScholar]

68. We had our local Bozo the clown franchise

Gary Weir was his name. Graduated high school with my father. He still has a show, but he is no longer a Bozo Franchisee. He is now Candy the Clown.

[spacelady]

69. Another one from the same time period and same

TV Station KOLN/KGIN TV in Lincoln ,NE, had a religious children's show on Sunday mornings called FCO (For Children Only) with Dale Holt and Morty Mouse (The mouse was a puppet) that had Bible stories and reruns of "Leave It To Beaver". Then we were shooed off to Sunday school!

[ovidsen]

71. I don't think anyone's mentioned Chicago yet...

So I will! WGN was Heaven's gift to kids in the 1960s.

The "Ray Rayner and his Friends" morning show was at 7am. It featured Ray, goofy jokes, and Warner Brothers cartoons. It was just the ticket for laughs while gobbling your Cocoa Puffs before dashing for the school bus.

At noon was "Bozo's Circus" with Ringmaster Ned (Locke) and Bozo himself (Bob Bell, with apologies to Larry Harmon, Bozo's creator), as well as a live audience of maybe a hundred kids and their parents. It featured skits, cartoons, and a "Grand Prize Game", in which kids tossed balls into increasingly distant buckets for progressively bigger and better goodies. This show was wildly popular across the midwest, where WGN was a staple on small town cable systems. At it's height, the wait for tickets was several years, which made them great baby shower gifts.

At 5pm was "Garfield Goose and Friends" with Frazier Thomas. Garfield, a puppet goose who "talked" by clacking his beak together was King of the United States. Plus more goofy skits and cartoons.

Fun stuff!

All of these shows were done live, and that must have been a challenge for Bozo... all those hysterically happy rugrats!

[Radio_Lady]

72. Local live children's show were a challenge, all right, and broke color --

barriers, at least in the case of "Popeye Playhouse."

The show began in early January, 1957 at WTVJ in Miami, Florida, which was a heavily segregated city at the time. At first, we only allowed children from white elementary schools to book on the show (we had a LIVE studio audience each day Monday - Friday, from 5PM to 6PM).

However, Chuck Zink, the announcer and host, and I were both from the north -- Chuck from Indiana by way of Pennsylvania, and myself, from Pittsburgh, PA. I can't say I had much to do with it (I was just 17 years old at the time), but a decision was made that we would start to integrate the audiences.

We had a LOT of flack from different places, and a certain amount of hate mail. But we overcame the opposition by sticking to our guns, and soon young "colored" children were in our audience, sitting right next to the white kids, and having a really great time.

I know that Chuck was very proud of that achievement, and so was I.

[ChoralScholar]

79. I watched The Bozo Show on WGN as a kid

had almost forgotten.... thanks for the memories of Bozo and Cookie and the freaky magic guy (whose name escapes me but I can see him clearly)

[eleny]

76. Sandy Becker!!!

http://www.christophergross.com/becker/becker.html
http://www.tvparty.com/lostbecker.html

He was Norton Nork, the Big Professor, K. Lastima (hee), Dr. Gesundheit. He was so hip but not a hipster. More humor like Steve Allen for kids. What am I saying? I don't know! He was just one of the best out of NYC.

[Radio_Lady]

80. Eleny, see my post #77 -- Becker was a very unique talent!

What a cute picture of him! And look at the QUAINT backdrop -- painted by hand, no doubt!

[eleny]

82. And didn't he sit in a chair that was all cockeyed

Seems I have memories of that, too. I loved him!

And then there was Pinky Lee who always wanted to go sit near the mommies. Actually, he always wanted to sit on a mommy's lap - and did.

[Aristus]

81. Growing up in San Antonio, we had Captain Gus.

I was on the show once with my kindergarten class. My mom watched and became angry when Captain Gus introduced me, said "Gimme five" and I slapped his hand instead of shaking it like all the other guys. I love my mom, but she was just not cool. B-)

[Radio_Lady]

83. Kick for the Monday morning crowd! Thanks again for your memories!

[Radio_Lady]

84. Going once, going twice -- ! Any more folks want to contribute?

I appreciate all responses! Thanks!



(Know who this is? HINT: He is NOT a kids' show host!)

[Debbi801]

85. Here in MD, there was Professor Kool's Fun Skool....

Professor Kool (Stu Kerr) was actually the tv station's weatherman during the week, but had this show on Saturday mornings.

Here's some info: http://www.geocities.com/gwhelton/2.html

He dressed up in a cap and gown and played all sorts of silly games with a "classroom" of kids. My brownie troup got to be on one week. It was one of the highlights of my childhood.

Debbi

[Pendrench]

97. And Ms. Spiderweb scared the heck out of me!!!!!!!!

I'm sure that you also remember Captain Chesapeake (along with Mondy the Sea Monster, Bruce the Bird, and the Curious Cabin???)

Tim

[Debbi801]

101. I loved Cap't Chesapeake....

Back when channel 45 was decent and not owned by fox. I used to do my homework with him every day. :-)

[Mizmoon]

88. "The Magic Garden" on WPIX in NY

It featured two hippie-ish women who were so kind and sweet, they played guitar, and hung out with sherlock the squirrel.

I remember getting very excited at "story box" time. This is the only television show in my life that made me feel special. I am 35-years-old and I still remember every word to the opening and closing songs.

See ya! See ya!
Glad that you could stay a while -uh huh
Hope you have a good, good morning, um-hum
hope you have a shiny day!
Bye now!

[ronnykmarshall]

90. Hobo Kelly

She rocked!

[luvLLB]

91. I remember the Cowboy John Show.. how many ppl can say THAT?

[Radio_Lady]

93. Please give the city, state for this program! Thanks so much!

Was that in Port Arthur, Texas????

[luvLLB]

95. YES!!! LOL channel 4..my first experience at public humiliation..

[underpants]

98. Uncle Al (with Captain Wendy) in Ohio

He gave away a horse one time and I was SURE I saw my letter on the top, just SURE about it. I have no idea what I would have done with a horse.

[underpants]

99. + Bowman Body in Central Va.

He showed the WORST horror films ever.

[Radio_Lady]

102. Hello moderators! (Anybody available tonight?)

Can you lock this thread? The date and time of the show has changed and I need to modify it and respond to all of these contributors.

Thanks so much to:

XanaDUer, gater, no_hypocrisy, Mizmoon, Pendrench, phaseolus, tuvor, blue neen, HeeBGBz, TlalocW, Left Is Write, Beausoir, MidwestMomma, peekaloo, democracyindanger, solinvictus, spacelady, enigmatic, Lindsay, johnnie, steely, Beware the Beast Man, GalleryGod, MountainLaurel, Crazy Guggenheim, salin, mitchum, Longgrain, crispini, maveric, evlbstrd, JonathanChance, henslee, mgdecombe, ChoralScholar, ovidsen, eleny, Aristus, Debbi801, ronnykmarshall, luvLLB, underpants. Hope I haven't missed anyone!

[The empressof all]

103. Folks seem to be enjoying this discussion

I'm leaving it open.