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Post by mikef6 on Aug 15, 2017 1:09:05 GMT
Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay
Howdy Doody’s theme song. My friends and I used to sing to the music:
It’s Howdy Doody time
It isn’t worth a dime
It looks like Frankenstein
It smells like turpentine.
Hey, we were little kids, OK?
Each episode would begin with host Buffalo Bob Smith calling out: “Say kids, what time is it.” The kid audience in the set’s bleacher seats would yell, “It’s Howdy Doody time!” That kid audience was known as the Peanut Gallery, a term still used, I think, today (maybe by an older bunch) to disparage someone’s opinion (“There’s another voice from the peanut gallery”).
Howdy Doody ran on NBC from December 1947 to September 1960. I must have started watching it between 1956 and 1957. It was a daily morning show until going to once a week on Saturday in June 1956. I knew it as a Saturday show. Two human actors portrayed American Indians. The characters were Chief Thunderthud (whose catchphrase “kowabonga” became an exclamation among California surfers in the 1960s) and his daughter Princess Summerfall Winterspring. The Princess was played by Judy Tyler who died in an auto accident in 1957. I remember seeing her. Thus, I arrive at my approximation of when I started watching.
SIDEBAR: The January 1966 Playboy Playmate of the Month was named Judy Tyler (and a lovely thing she was). For years, I had people tell me that Princess Summerfall Winterspring of Howdy Doody had been a Playmate. I think it was not until the social media era that that story was totally debunked at last. Playmate Judy was born in 1947, the year Howdy premiered and would have been just 13 when it went off the air. Also, in January 1966, Howdy Judy had tragically been dead for nine years.
Among the other memorable humans and puppets (more properly, marionettes) that were regulars were: 1) Clarabelle the Clown who never spoke but was always ready to spray anyone with his seltzer bottle. Clarabelle was first portrayed by Bob Keeshen who left the show to become Captain Kangaroo in 1955. The only words Clarabelle ever spoke were “Goodbye kids” – the last words of the last show. 2) Phineas T. Bluster (marionette), one of the great character names, was Mayor of Doodyville, the fictional town the show took place and 3) Dilly Dally (marionette), a mentally challenged carpenter.
Memories, anyone?
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wanton87
Sophomore
@wanton87
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Post by wanton87 on Aug 16, 2017 1:08:08 GMT
mikef6I’m not sure why, but this show either didn’t air in syndication where I lived (Western U.S.) or it managed to get by me for the most part, because I’ve only seen the occasional video clip here and there. But I do recall that it was a very popular show for kids in the 1950’s. My father (born in 1942) often made references to the characters in that show, as a comparison to real life people that we knew (And no, the comparisons weren’t flattering  ). Now I do remember quite well, Captain Kangaroo, with Mr Bob Keeshen, as that was part of the regular line up where I lived. It’s funny how these urban legends get started. For years it was claimed that Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell from leave it to beaver) was in fact, famous porn star John Holmes. I can actually understand how this could happen, as a young John Holmes was practically the spitting image and persona, and even sounded just like the Eddie Haskell character. (And I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that Mr Osmond wasn’t overly worried about this rumor harming his reputation with the ladies  ).
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Post by mikef6 on Aug 16, 2017 1:25:25 GMT
It’s funny how these urban legends get started. For years it was claimed that Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell from leave it to beaver) was in fact, famous porn star John Holmes. I can actually understand how this could happen, as a young John Holmes was practically the spitting image and persona, and even sounded just like the Eddie Haskell character. (And I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that Mr Osmond wasn’t overly worried about this rumor harming his reputation with the ladies ). Ken Osmond had become a cop in Los Angeles when those rumors started circulating. He was even investigated by Internal Affairs when word reached his bosses. When the later Beaver shows and specials started to be produced (the 1983 TV movie Still The Beaver followed by the series The New Leave It To Beaver from 1985-1989), Osmond gave up copping to return to acting. And speaking of the Beav, one afternoon in, I think, 1970, Shelly Winters said on Merv Griffin's talk show that Jerry Mathers had been killed in Vietnam. I have no idea where she came up with such a story (my apartment mate actually heard this and told me about it when I got home from work). Still The Beaver must have shocked a lot of people. Well, one Urban Legend leads to another, doesn't it? |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 16, 2017 1:45:08 GMT
Buffalo Bob and Clarabel and company came to the local movie theater for a special kiddies matinee.
I remember the hollering as the clown snuck up on Bob with that seltzer bottle.
There is also a Christmas picture of a Front-Toothless Bat in a fake peanut gallery with a background poster of Howdy Doody taken at one of the Department stores (either maybe Macy's or Gimbels). Bat is wearing a Hopalong Cassidy shirt and looking quite pleased for a kid with no teeth.
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wanton87
Sophomore
@wanton87
Posts: 224
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Post by wanton87 on Aug 16, 2017 1:53:35 GMT
mikef6That’s right, I forgot all about the claim that Jerry Mather’s had been killed in Vietnam. Thankfully, now in the internet age, the information is out there in large volume, and at your finger tips, so it’s much easier to dispel these myths. I also recalled the Mr Roger’s commando myth. www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/mrrogers.asp
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Post by mikef6 on Aug 16, 2017 2:05:26 GMT
mikef6 That’s right, I forgot all about the claim that Jerry Mather’s had been killed in Vietnam. Thankfully, now in the internet age, the information is out there in large volume, and at your finger tips, so it’s much easier to dispel these myths. I also recalled the Mr Roger’s commando myth. www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/mrrogers.asp Fred Rogers as either a convicted felon or a Navy SEAL sniper is beyond hysterical. I hadn't seen these before! |
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Post by them1ghtyhumph on Aug 16, 2017 2:29:47 GMT
Eddie Haskell was rumored to be Alice Cooper
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Post by telegonus on Sept 3, 2017 8:40:01 GMT
Howdy Doody was a wonderful show. I was very young when I saw it, in hour long weekend format only. Was it just Saturday, Mike? I could have sworn it was Saturday and Sunday. Kid shows like that were popular. We had one in Boston called Boomtown. No puppets but a real live cowboy, Rex Trailer, was the host. I believe he showed cartoons.
Buffalo Bob was an energetic guy and later in life he said that the show just plain exhausted him. You'd never know from the way he made his entrances. Didn't Doodytown, or whatever it was, have a mayor? I could swear that there was on. His name was something along the lines of John J. Fadoozel and he even had his own "song".
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Post by mikef6 on Sept 3, 2017 14:03:57 GMT
Howdy Doody was a wonderful show. I was very young when I saw it, in hour long weekend format only. Was it just Saturday, Mike? I could have sworn it was Saturday and Sunday. Kid shows like that were popular. We had one in Boston called Boomtown. No puppets but a real live cowboy, Rex Trailer, was the host. I believe he showed cartoons. Buffalo Bob was an energetic guy and later in life he said that the show just plain exhausted him. You'd never know from the way he made his entrances. Didn't Doodytown, or whatever it was, have a mayor? I could swear that there was on. His name was something along the lines of John J. Fadoozel and he even had his own "song". The Doodyville mayor was Phineas T. Bluster. The local TV show we had was Captain Gus, a grizzled old sea captain ("Hello, Mateys") on the set of a ship. He showed cartoons, specializing in Popeye. The same guy who did Capt. Gus every weekday also had a Friday night scary movie show where he dressed like Dracula and introduced the films. At the close of each night's show, he would wish good night with an upward inflected last word, like a question. "Sleep well and pleasant....dreams?" Then, an Evil Laugh. My friends and I thought it was a hoot. We were just too cool. |
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Post by telegonus on Sept 7, 2017 19:05:29 GMT
Yes, Phineas T. Bluster. How could I have forgotten?  Then who was Fadoozel, I wonder. There was a kiddie show host up in New Hampshire, on channel 9, which we got down in greater Boston, who went by the same Uncle Gus. Those were the days when out of state channels were fuzzy, though still watchable. There was so little on television, while now there's so damn much!  Where do all the people come from? |
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Post by koskiewicz on Sept 10, 2017 15:29:24 GMT
....ahhhh....Howdy Doody!!!!
I grew up with this show. When I attended a memorabilia show in the late 1980's, there sat Buffalo Bob with an original Howdy Doody marionette and he was signing autographs for a donation to charity. I chatted with Bob for about 20 minutes and of course got his auto which he personalized to me writing "all the best from your old pals Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob Smith." Among other marionettes already mentioned, there also was Don Jose Bluster, Sandy MacTavish. Flub-a-dub, and Captain Scuttlebutt.
Others in the cast included Dayton Allen and Bill Lecornec. I own a DVD collection containing scores of Doody episodes. And there was also the little remembered Buffalo Vic Smith who was Bob's older real life brother.
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