From The Archives: "Based On The TV Program" (1950s)

Here are scans of book covers from 50's era television programs. Chicago style citations are in the captions.

Schroeder, Doris. 1955. Annie Oakley in danger at Diablo. Racine, Wis: Whitman Pub. Co.

Annie Oakley (1954 1957) was one of the best "kiddie" westerns from the 1950s. In the series the fictional Annie (Gail Davis) lived in the town of Diablo with her kid brother Tagg (Jimmy Hawkins It's A Wonderful Life).

Jason, Leon. ill. Ruhman, Ruth. 1957. Jingle dingle book.  New York, NY. Wonder Books.

Jingle Dingle was a jolly character created by New York artist Leon Jason to be their weatherman for local TV stations. For information on local kids TV characters like Jingle Dingle there is still no better source than Tim Hollis's Hi There, Boys and Girls!: America's Local Children's TV Shows

Fisher, Lois J., and Karl Murr. 1951. Lois and Looie; inside a TV show. Chicago: Children's Press.

Lois Jeanette Fisher (1907? - 1988) was an accomplished cartoonist, teacher and writer by the time she hosted Lois and Looie for WENR-TV in Chicago. She told and illustrated the adventures of herself, a boy named Looie, a puppy named Poco and the horse Starbaby. She had previously hosted Trace-A-Pix for WPIX in New York and an early experimental interactive video series in Chicago around 1945. There will much more about her in future posts. 

Children's television magazine, July 1952. Haverford, Pa. Charles L. Shaffer, Inc.

Above a below are the cover and a spread page from Children's Television Magazine. According to the 1953 Catalog of Copyright Entries, this may have been the only issue of this magazine ever published. The funny looking puppet on the cover is Willie the Worm from "Junior Hi-Jinx with Willie" or simply Junior Hi-Jinx a CBS-TV children's program. For more about this series I will share this link to a page in Wesley Hyatt's amazing book Short Lived Television Programs, 1948-1978. 

Children's television magazine, July 1952. Haverford, Pa. Charles L. Shaffer, Inc.

There are so many stories about how amazed children were that the Princess from Howdy Doody (1947-1960) became a dancing singing human being. Were you one of them?