A Blast from the Past. To all those born between 1930 and 1979. (New York: versus, to move)

[Fun City Man]

Dear Nancy The Reader,

Mr.Zacherley did try to revive his horror film tv show on

cable..under the title"Channel Zacherley".


But..?

It didn't work and he left tv entirley to work on radio as

a rock music dj(A job that Mr.Zacherley had been doing from the

late 1960's..until just recently).


He now makes guest appearances at horror film and nostalgia

conventions all over the country(Mostly at "The Chiller Theater"

conventions in Parsipany,N.J.)and he has been the subject of

a few books about his career as a horror film tv host/performer.


There were attemps to try and revive "Howdy Doody" and

The Soupy Sales Show in national tv syndication in the late 1970's.


"The New Howdy Doody Show"was taped before a much larger

studio audience of adults and kids at "The Video City TV Studios"

in Miami,Fla. and aired in national syndication in 1976.


The show however was not a success..since many tv stations

EG WNEW TV Ch.5 in NYC saw the show as a kids tv show and not

a comedy/variety show aimed at an adult audience.

Screening the show either in the afternoon or in the

early morning hours.

The series was not a hit and it was dropped after a few months.


Soupy also tried a comeback with"The New Soupy Sales Show!"

(Which was taped in color at the KTLA TV Ch.5 TV Studios in L.A.,

Cal.) and aired in national syndication in 1979.


This series also failed to catch on with viewers..because

it lacked the free wheeling improvasation of the original

ABC TV Network and WNEW TV Ch.5 NYC formats.


Also..many tv stations that aired the show programmed

it for the afternoon hours..because they saw it as a kids tv

comedy show.


WPIX TV Ch.11 in NYC aired the show in the afternoon

hours and it was a flop!


The series was cancelled after a few months and Soupy

went onto be a regular on"The Sha Na Na Show"(First he played

a wise cracking cop..then he took on the role of "Igor" the manager

of "The Sha Na Na"Clubhouse on the program).


He also did guest appearances on talk shows,game shows and

on sit coms and episodic series.


For a time..Soupy hosted his own comedy/talk music series

on WNBC Radio in NYC "Lunch With Soupy Sales"during the late

1980's(This was before WNBC Radio went off the air for good

in 1987).


His last regular tv performances was as the voice of

"Donkey Kong"on "The Saturday Supercade"TV Cartoon show

on The CBS TV Network in the mid 1980's.


In recent years..Soupy has made guest appearances at

nostalgia conventions, he has written two joke books and his

memiors"Soupy Sez:My Life & Zany Times!" and he has appeared

in some movies.


As to your query about wheather or not..Mr.Bob Keeshan

was "Clarabelle The Clown"on "Howdy Doody"?


The answer is Yes..he was the first performer to play

"Clarabelle"on the show.


From the late 1940's starting in December,1947(When the show was originally titled

"Puppet Playhouse Presents!"on NBC TV)to the time that the

series was retitled"Howdy Doody" and went from a Saturday

evening timeslot to a Monday,Wednesday and Friday timeslot


He played the clown,"Chief Featherman" and"Prof.Oscar"

on the show.


"Howdy Doody" was seen Monday,Wednesday and Friday

evenings on NBC TV from 1948 to 1950..when the show was

expanded to a monday thru friday timeslot.


Unfortuneatley?


Mr.Keeshan and some of the other cast members of the

show didn't care for the fact that"Buffalo Bob"and the show's

producers:Mr.Muir and Mr.Stone didn't pay them decent wages

or give them proper dressing rooms.


So they joined the union:AFRA(This was before the union became

known as AFTRA)and they hired an agent and a manager to try and

negociate with Smith,Muir and Stone.


Messers Smith,Muir and Stone were angry..because on the

show..there was an unwritten rule..if you worked on "HD"you

negociated with the host of the show and the producers and

network execs directly..but not via a talent agent and/or manager.


The three secretly hired new performers to replace the

rebellous cast members(Allen Swift,Bobby Nicholson,Marty

Barris replaced Bob Keeshan,Dayton Allen,Judy Tyler and

Bill Lecornec..although Mr.Lecornec returned to the show

and remained with"Howdy Doody"..until the series ended

it's run on NBC TV on Saturday September 24,1960.)


Their dismissle from the show was announced following

an appearance at The Brooklyn NYC Navy Yard in December of

1951 or 1952(Depending on which tv history book that you've

read).


Bobby Nicholson replaced Keeshan as"Clarabelle" and he

played the clown for a brief period of time.


But?

Mr.Nicholson hated playing the clown and he wanted to play

a different character"Corny Cobb".


Mr.Muir told him"Nick..you can't play "Corny Cobb"..unless you

can get another actor to replace you as Clarabelle".


In 1954..jazz musician and singing bandleader Lewis Anderson

was hired to replace Nicholson as"Clarabelle".


Mr.Anderson played the clown on The NBC TV Network version of

"Howdy Doody",on "The New Howdy Doody Show" and he performed

at many personal appearances with"Buffalo Bob"Smith into the 1990's.


(Mr.Anderson's "Clarabelle"was the performer..who spoke on the

last episode of the NBC TV Network edition of the show..when he

revealed to"Bufallo Bob" and "Howdy"That he could talk..the

camera dollyed in on his face and as he trembled..he said

"Goodbye Kids!")


I hope that this answers your queries about Zacherley,

Soupy Sales and "Howdy Doody" and Mr.Keeshan's

interpretation of"Clarabelle"?


Fun City Man!

[Fun City Man]

Dear Scammed,


I doubt that those kinnie fllms of"Kukla & Ollie"will be shown

on WPIX TV Ch.11 NYC's 60th anniversary tv tribute next month?


As to wether or not you can see those kinnie films of"Kukla

& Ollie"(Ms.Allison was not seen in those Kinnie films of the show)

on the internet?


You can try to find them at "You Tube".


And Yes!


"Ollie!"was a dragon puppet with a big tooth and he was a

silly character on the show.


Those"Kuklapollitan Player"Puppets were the creation

of a brilliant gentleman..that I was lucky enough to meet

before he left us in 1983..Mr.Burr Tillstrom.


Thanks For your reply and Thanks For

Remembering"Kukla & Ollie",

Fun City Man!

[Fun City Man]

Dear I2MissNY,


When you and your friends appeared on"Wonderama!"?

Which version of the show did you appear on..The Sandy

Becker,Bill Britten,Sonny Fox or Bob McAllister version(s)of

the program?


If you can recall which edition of"Wonderama"that you and

your friends appeared on..please share those recollections with

all of us here at the "Blast From The Past!"website?


Fun City Man!

[Fun City Man]

Dear Scammed,


Although my parents were not"Three Stooges"Fans?

I always watched their antics on"The Three Stooges Funhouse!"

With "Officer Joe"Bolton,"Let's Have Fun!"(The Chuck McCann/Paul

Ashley version),"The Three Stooges Firehouse!"With "Fireman Todd"

Russell,"The Cartoon Express!"(The WPIX TV Ch.11 NYC version with

"Engineer Smokey Bill"Britten),"The Popeye/Three Stooges Show!"

With"Capt.Jack"McCarthy,"The Eddie Lawrence Show!",and"The Three

Stooges Shows!"With John Zacherley("The Coo Ghoul!")and "Officer Joe"

Bolton on WPIX TV Ch.11 in NYC from Monday September 8,1958 to

Thursday May 4,1970.


AH!

You don't get film comedies,comedy performers or local kids tv

shows like that anymore!


Fun City Man!

[nancy thereader]

Fcm, you are a walking encylopedia of television nostalgia!!!

[onenana]

out of the ink well comes coco the clown anyone remember this one

[Fun City Man]

Dear Oneana,


Yes!


I remember those "Koko The Clown"TV cartoons produced and

released to nationally syndicated tv in the early 1960's.


Hal Seegar..the man who gave"Milton The Monster"on ABC TV in

the mid to late 1960's created and produced a new series of "Koko"

cartoons for tv.(The name of the clown is spelt"KoKo"..not "Coco")


The series was originally created and produced by Mr.Max Flesicher

for the silent movie theaters back in the 1920's.


Many years later..when Mr.Fleischer was no longer making

cartoons for the movies?


Mr.Seegar acquired the tv rights to the character and he created

the tv versions of the series.


Mr.Larry Storch(Best remembered as"Cpl.Randolph Agran"on Warner

Bros.'/ABC TV's "F.Troop")did the voices of"KoKo","Mean Moe" and KokoNut"

for the series..I don't know who did the voice of "Koko's"girl friend"Koket"?


The films were seen weekday afternoons on WPIX TV Ch.11 in

NYC during the early 1960's.


But the films were not a hit with tv viewers and they were quickly

dropped from Ch.11's weekday afternoon scheduale.


I haven't seen The"Koko The Clown"TV cartoons since.

Damn It!


Anyway,

Thanks For Remembering:"The Koko The Clown"TV Cartoons,

Fun City Man!


P.S.WPIX TV Ch.11 in NYC will be airing it's 60th anniversary tv

tribute next Saturday night from 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. EDT ..before

that?


Ch.11 will also air reruns of clasic tv shows and "Little Rascals"and

"Three Stooges"film comedies from 12:00 to 9:00 P.M. EDT.


I hope that the users of "The Blast From The Past!"website

..who are able to watch and record the classic tv shows marathon and

The WPIX TV Ch.11 TV Tribute will be able to see it.

[onenana]

thank you fun city for the info. I remember that show so clearly for my childhood. Ko-Ko the clown

[Fun City Man]

Dear Oneana,

Thanks For your reply.


The orginial"Koko The Clown"silent movie cartoons

were first seen on"Junior Frollics"With "Uncle Fred"Sayles

(pronounced Sales..not to be confused with Soupy Sales)

on WATV/WNTA TV Ch.13 in The Newark,N.J./NYC viewing

area circa 1946.


Mr.Sayles..a local N.J.radio host and singer mc'd the program

weekday evenings on Ch.13 into the early 1960's.


Sadly,the show was being tampered with during it's last

years by the stupid and greedy station execs.


They wanted Mr.Sayles to do the show with a studio auidience

against the backdrop of small town and has some games,craftmaking,

hobies.,etc segments on the show..to make it more like a little variety

kids tv show.


Mr.Sayles was against the idea of ultilizing such a concept..but

the station execs at WNTA TV forced him to host such a show.


The idea didn't work and"Junior Town Frollics"went off the

air in 1962.


WNTA TV Ch.13 also left the air and became WNEDT/WNET TV

Ch.13 PBS TV.


Anyway,

Again,

Thanks for your reply and Thanks For Remembering

"The Koko The Clown"tv cartoons,

Fun City Man.

[nancy thereader]

I hope you enjoyed the Channel Eleven marathon (it was this weekend, wasn't it ?) , Fun City Man. Any chance that you will let us know how you come by so much fascinating information?