Children's Comics 004: "Funland" by A. W. Nugent

As a kid I grew up with Bob Weber's Slylock Fox puzzles and games section. It is amazing to discover how far back the "Junior Page" or "Kids Section" goes back in newspaper comics. One great (and still running) example is "Funland" or "Uncle Art's Funland" which was created in 1933 by Arthur William Nugent (1891 - 1975) also known as Art Nugent, or A. W. Nugent. The following are early reprints for this long running children's feature from Famous Funnies comics magazine.

From Famous Funnies #76, November 1940

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From Famous Funnies #077, December 1940

From Famous Funnies #94, May 1942

This Month in Children's Media: December 2017 Part II

60 Years Ago
December 14, 1957 - The Ruff and Reddy Show, the first animated for television series by Hanna-Barbera premieres on television.

70 Years Ago 
December 27, 1947 - Howdy Doody premieres on television, originally titled "Puppet Playhouse"

80 Years Ago
December 21, 1937 - "Disney's Folly" Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre.

Vintage Kiddie Records in the Great 78 Project

Classic children's records are still very collectible and the internet has made it possible to hear many hard to find albums. The Internet Archive is home to the "Great 78 Project" which is a "community project for the preservation, research and discovery of 78rpm records". The albums were digitized from a group of collector and archive collections. Among the thousands of "sides" the project has digitized hundreds of vintage kiddie records from the George Blood collection.

For Christmastime I want to highlight this 1955 Christmas Album by "Miss Frances" Horwich of the pioneering preschool series Ding Dong School (1952 - 1956). She introduces the album 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by ringing the shows' trademark bell. If the embedded player does not work CLICK HERE

70th Anniversary of "Santa's Surprise" and Little Audrey

Little Audrey, or her long-running comic book title "Playful Little Audrey" was one of my favorites of the all classic cartoon characters I was exposed to on public domain cartoon VHS tapes. In cartoons like "The Seapreme Court" and "Tarts and Flowers" you knew that once Audrey fell asleep there was something fun ahead.

In Santa's Surprise, (released December 5, 1947) which was Audrey's first appearance, she is one of a group of international children who sneak away to the North Pole to thank a tired and weary Santa Claus. This cartoon seems to have been popular enough for a reissue the following year and in 1954. Audrey would appear in her first solo cartoon "Butterscotch and Soda" in 1948. Like dozens of other pre-1950 cartoons produced by Paramount Famous Studios, Santa's Surprise would be acquired for television by the National Telefilm Associates, and some available prints of this cartoon contain their logo instead of the Paramount opening.

Frequently cited sources claim that Audrey was created to replace Marge's "Little Lulu" character when Famous Studios did not want to pay anymore to license a character. There was at least one Lulu cartoon made after Santa's Surprise so maybe someone remembered the little girl with three ponytails and decided to turn her into a star. They didn't have to look far for a new voice. Mae Questel (1908 - 1998) was already the voice of Lulu (and Popeye's girlfriend Olive Oyl) and she was given the part. In fact Audrey and Olive basically have the same voice. Try watching a 1950s Popeye cartoon and a Little Audrey cartoon back to back.

Today the depiction of most of the children would be deemed racist and offensive. An interesting twist to this is that Little Audrey was noted as one of the first kids comics characters to have a non-stereotypical black character with the appearance of "Tiny" in her 1950s comics.

From Little Audrey #42, June 1955.
Image from "Out of this World" comics blog. Click Image for full article

One could also take into consideration that this was a post World War II film. In that time period there were a number of films and radio programs that tried to address racial unity, like the "problem pictures" of 1949 Pinky and Intruders In The Dust, or the Adventures of Superman radio episodes in which the Man of Steel took on the KKK.

Audiences were used to seeing films with white and black children interacting (Our Gang/Little Rascals most famously). However, a color cartoon that suggested Santa loves Chinese, Hawaiian, Black, White American, European and Russian children (and that they loved him too) may have been very special 70 years ago.

This Month In Children's Media : Christmas 2017 Part I

Banner for the 80th Anniversary of the
children's Christmas radio serial "The Cinnamon Bear".

25 Years Ago 

December 1, 1992 - Frosty Returns (not a sequel to Rankin & Bass' Frosty The Snowman, 1969) premieres on CBS with John Goodman as Frosty and has aired each year since. Co-produced by Bill Melendez, (A Charlie Brown Christmas), the child characters look like they could fit into the "Peanuts" world.

Cover to the Little Golden Book's adaption of the holiday special, by Muller and Bill Langley,
From the Author's Collection

December 4, 1992 - Noel one of the last TV Christmas specials written by Romeo Muller (Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty The Snowman) premieres. It is the story of a joyful Christmas ornament narrated by Charlton Heston. Muller passed away on December 30 that year at the age of 64.

50 Years Ago

News story about the new Christmas special "Cricket On The Hearth". Albany (New York) Times Union) 1967

December 18th 1967 - The Rankin Bass special "The Cricket On The Hearth", based on the Charles Dickens story, debuts as an episode of the Danny Thomas Hour. Naturally it starred the voices of Danny Thomas and his daughter Marlo Thomas. It has not been screen on TV is some time, but is available on DVD.

75 Years Ago

December 14 - 25, 1942. "What is the name of the Lone Ranger's nephew's horse? Why Victor! Everybody knows that!" - A Christmas Story (1983)

Over the course of 6 episodes of the classic radio series, The Lone Ranger discovers that the son of his slain brother Capt. Dan Reid is still living! The younger Dan Reid would ride with The Lone Ranger and Tonto in many episodes of the popular radio series (and for a while in the television version). Another interesting crossword clue for "A Christmas Story" would have been "What is the dual identity of the Lone Ranger's nephew's son?" (Answer: "The Green Hornet")

80 Years Ago

November 26, 1937 - The Christmas radio serial "The Cinnamon Bear" is first heard. Still broadcast on radio to this day between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is the longest on-going Christmas special in American broadcast history. "Rudolph" is catching up after 53 years.

125 Years Ago

December 18, 1892 - The two act ballet "The Nutcracker" premieres at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. It was adapted from E. T. A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", modified by Alexandre Dumas' in his story "The Nutcracker". It originally featured choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with the still famous score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It would take a while before the music would catch on in the United States. Today Nutcrackers are widely used and displayed with the Christmas holiday.

130 Years Ago

Cover to 1959 children's edition of Sherlock Holmes stories.

December 1, 1887 - A Study In Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes story appears in Beeton's Christmas Annual

Lost TV Shows - The Pet Shop (1951 - 1953)

TV Forecast, April 5, 1952. "The Pet Shop" co-host Gay Compton made the cover.

The Pet Shop. December 1, 1951 – March 14, 1953. WGN TV for Chicago, DuMont Network

"The Pet Shop" was a Chicago based children's series host by Gail Compton with his young daughter Gay.
In his review for Billboard, Cy Wagner described the overall production as effective and Gail Compton as having an "easy going style" in his role as host. The program took place in a fictional pet shop where children could learn about animals and pet care. Gail Compton (c. 1915 - ????) was the agricultural editor for the Chicago Tribune, and this program may have began with his experiences reporting animals & livestock.

This edition of TV Forecast features a two page article written by young Gay Comptom. She described the program in pretty good detail. It is a shame that perhaps no recordings of this series are known to exist. The show regularly featured guests and their pets, and one notable episode featured cartoonist Chester Gould (Dick Tracy).

If anyone knows what became of young Gay Compton or her father, this blogger would like to know.

Survival Status: Presumed Lost. Probably was dumped in the bay like the majority of DuMont TV programs.

Correction made January 9, 2018

Juvenile Mystery Collection - 001

Detective novels, comics, radio shows, TV programs and games geared towards young listeners and readers have existed for quite a while. Here is a look into a sub-collection of juvenile mystery materials.

Doyle, Arthur Conan, and Felix Sutton. 1957. Sherlock Holmes: a study in scarlet and the red-headed league. New York: Wonder Books.

Sobol, Donald J. 1963. Encyclopedia Brown, boy detective. New York: Scholastic Book Services.

Encyclopedia was a favorite growing up. He was easily the smartest of all kid detectives.

Herz, Peggy. 1977. Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. New York. Scholastic Book Services.

Dann, David. 1977. Scooby-Doo and the Mystery of the Rider Without a Head. Newark, N.J.: Peter Pan Industries.

I do not have the record that came with this book, but it was digitized and put on YouTube. 

Rathbone, Basil, Nigel Bruce, Patricia Morison, Arthur Conan Doyle, Leonard Lee, Frank Gruber, and Roy William Neill. 1985. Dressed to kill. Charlotte, NC: United American Video Corp.

Not a "juvenile" version of the Holmes character, but Basil Rathbone may be the most recognizable of all Sherlock Holmes actors, and these films were very accessible to young audiences on television and home video

Dubowski, Cathy East. 1996. The case of the Sea World adventure: a novelization. New York: Scholastic.

The Olsen Twins' Sea World outing aired on TV as I recall and it was enjoyable family special on ABC TV. It doesn't seem that any of the Mary-Kate & Ashley detective films be on DVD for a new generation anytime soon.  

Children's Comics 003 : "The Story of Louis Braille"

It has been a while, but it is time for another classic "edutainment" comic story. From February 1948 here is "The Story of Louis Braille: Let There Be Light", originally published in Real Life Comics a long running series from The Nedor/Standard publishers. The author and pencils are un-credited.

This Month In Children's Media : September 2017 Part II

September 19, 1952 - 65 Years Ago

The Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves enters syndication. The TV series followed the very popular radio version (1940 - 1951) which starred Clayton "Bud" Collyer in the title role. After The Lone Ranger (1949 - 1957, which currently airs on the Cowboy Channel) and The Cisco Kid, Superman is still the third longest ongoing children's/juvenile adventure series in rerun history (currently airing on H&I).

If only someone would air reruns of Howdy Doody, Space Patrol, and Fury. 

Young Ventriloquists : Is Darci Lynne The Next Shari Lewis?...Paul Winchell?

I am only blogging about a recent TV personality because of how much their talent is a reminder great children's entertainers of the past. One need not to have watched the entire summer 2017 season of America's Got Talent to have seen the extremely versatile Darci Lynne Farmer. The young singer/comedienne/ventriloquist already has millions of hits on her YouTube videos. In one of her acts which she performed lived on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, (and it was clear she was going to win) Darci Lynne did a funny comedy routine which led to a song, all the while giving each of her characters full personalities.

Darci Lynne is only 12 years old and has already made her national TV debut with a bang. This reminds me of four notable legends of puppetry & ventriloquism in children's media history who began their long careers as children or teenagers.

Shari Lewis (1933 - 1998) studied acrobatics, baton twirling and ventriloquism at a young age. She was 19 when she won first prize on the CBS television series Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. A year later she was hosting her first television series. She is still fondly remembered for her puppets Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, and Hush Puppy.

Paul Winchell (1922 - 2005) was a 13 year old boy stricken with polio when he sent off for a ventriloquism kit. He made his first and most famous dummy, Jerry Mahoney for a school project. Winchell was also the original and long time voice of Tigger from the Disney Winnie The Pooh classics.

Jimmy Nelson (1928 -    ) was 10 when his aunt gave him a ventriloquist dummy she had won in a Bingo game. By the time he was a teenager, Nelson began performing for church groups and amateur contest. Today he is best remembered for his puppets Danny O'Day and Farfel the dog with the snapping mouth for Nestle ads.

Shirley Dinsdale (1926 - 1999) was the very first performer to earn an Emmy award. She was an Los Angeles area ventriloquist who starred on radio and television with her puppet Judy Splinters. Dinsdale got her first dummy at the age of 5 from her father as a gift to help her recover from injuries sustained during a fire. She began performing on radio around the age of 15.

This Month In Children's Media : September 2017 Part I

I've let too many months go by so let's start fresh with September. There will be more in a couple of weeks.

50 Years Ago - September 8, 1967
"Off To See The Wizard" was a semi-animated/live action anthology series produced by MGM that used their beloved "Wizard of Oz" film characters to showcase family movie classics. It only lasted on season. The late June Foray was the voice of Dorothy.

Now For Saturday Mornings. 

All of these series premiered on Saturday, September 9th, 1967 - 50 Years Ago!

1967 was a special season and a slight controversial one with the addition of action/adventure shows that led to a controversy about violence on Saturday Morning television.

Many of these series featured voice work by Golden Age of Radio Veterans like Janet Waldo, June Foray, Paul Frees and Joan Alexander, and would also feature some of the very last voice work by Bud Collyer and Gerald Mohr.

ABC
"The Fantastic Four" - On this series, radio veteran Gerald Mohr can be heard as Mr. Fantastic. He was also the very first Green Lantern on the Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure.

"Spider-Man" - The one with the catchy theme song. What else can I say?

"Journey to the Center of the Earth"

"George of the Jungle" - I always watched this (on ABC reruns in 1995) just for Super Chicken, and the theme song.

CBS

"The Herculoids"
"Shazzan"
"Moby Dick and Mighty Mightor"

"The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure"

NBC
Super President and Spy Shadow - actually premiered September 16, 1967
Samson & Goliath
Birdman and the Galaxy Trio

Children's Comics 002: "Television, The Most Modern Means Of Entertainment!"

Here is the cover story for Science Comics #004 published July 1946, inked by Warren Kremer, who is still fondly remembered for his work on the Harveytoon Comic Books.

As a bonus here I've included an episode of "Panhandle Pete and Jennifer" one of TV's earliest surviving local kids shows. Enjoy!

Panhandle Pete and Jennifer (WNBQ-TV, Chicago 1951)

This was the second Chicago area series to feature actress Jennifer Holt. In this program she plays the role of a rancher housewife with Johnny Coons as the old tale telling Pete. This series was produced by the newly formed CNC Productions (which we can assume stood for Johnny Coons, Bill Newton and Ray Chan). The stories for this series were written by Chan, with illustrations by artist Newton. TV series like this with drawings to tell new stories were commons in the early days of TV. The author of this channel would like to learn more information about Chan as he may have been on of TV's earliest Asian-American writers. CNC Productions would later produce the children's series "King Calico" and episode of which was preserved by the Prelinger Archives.

Children's Comics 001: Mary McLeod Bethune in "Calling All Girls" #037

There is a tendency for some people who specialize in the history of media consumed by children to mock concerned parents, parental groups and the alternatives they created or endorsed for children to enjoy. This is unfortunate because every generation has embraced a movie, comic book or TV program that came some sort of "seal of approval" (Captain Kangaroo, Let's Pretend, Ghost Writer) . Seeing a recent example of that mockery by a professional has motivated me to share some cool examples of fun, adventurous, humorous, instructional, educational and "parents-approved" comic pages from the past.

Mary Jane McLeod Bethune (July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) was the famous Black American educator, civil rights activist and member of FDR's "Black Cabinet". Her story was retold for the first (and possibly only) time in comic/graphic form in Calling All Girls #038, April 1945, a publication of the Parents Magazine Institute.

The artist of this story is unknown but Ralph O. Ellsworth is credited as the art editor.

This comic book is in the public domain and can be freely used for educational purposes. 

This Month(s) in Children's Media January - April 2017 (Part I)

Running a blog with a monthly feature is tough. There were several highlights from January through March that I've missed and I will share a few, but focus mostly on April. 

January 2017 

Radar Men From The Moon - January 9th, 1952. This famous (?) latter day Republic Serial has been in the public domain for most of its 65 years and may be one of the most widely seen of the old Saturday Matinee cliffhangers.

March 2017

100 Years Ago! - March 23, 1917 - Jimmie Dale Alias The Grey Seal  was a live action film serial verison of a pre-Zorro character who was a childhood favorite of Walt Disney. In fact Disney attempted to adapt The Grey Seal to television in the 1950s, but was more successful with Zorro. According to some sources, this entire serial may still exist in the archives of the Museum of Modern Art, but its preservation status is unknown.

April 2017

65 Years Ago! - April 4, 1952. The Abbott and Costello classic Jack And The Beanstalk turned 65 on April 4th, 2017. With its public domain status it may be their most widely seen movie. The duo was quite popular with children (they even had a Saturday morning radio show) and this film remains a great intro to these classic comedians.

75 Years Ago! - April 3, 1942.  The Jungle Book - Live action color version of the Ruyard Kipling book starring Sabu. In the public domain and enjoyed by several generations.

From Film Daily, April 7 1942 - http://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/filmdail81wids_0056

75 Years Ago! April 4, 1942.  Spy Smasher - Famous wartime serial starring Kane Richmond and directed by William Witney.

Smithson, E. J. "Hazard Hero". Hollywood Magazine Vol. 31, No 7, July 1942.
This magazine was digitized by the Media History Digital Library. To read the entire 3-page article go to http://www.archive.org/stream/hollywood31fawc#page/n493/mode/2up  

April 8th, 1941 - Last year I missed the chance to recognize 75th anniversary of the death of Earle Graser (1909 - 1941) was not the 1st Lone Ranger, but he was the first to become widely known for the role. He was killed in an automobile accident 76 years ago today. He is one of the earliest examples of a broadcast star of a program popular with young audience who died suddenly during the production. His legacy would continue with the Lone Ranger television series as his cry of "Hi-Yo Silver" was used at times in the series. This video is one example from the 3rd episode of the TV series "The Lone Ranger's Triumph" originally broadcast September 29, 1949.

Eventually I would like to post a complete Lone Ranger radio adventure starring Graser.

'Lone Ranger' Killed in Michigan Crash, Motion Picture Daily - April 9, 1942.

Land Of The Lost (No...Not That 70's Show!) Radio Program and Animated Short

An illustration by Olive Bailey for the 1945 Land Of The Lost book written by Isabel Manning Hewson. 

Isabel Manning Hewson's great radio fantasy series about her childhood adventures with her brother Billy and the talking fish Red Lantern in various underwater kingdoms should not be confused with the 1970s TV adventures series in a dinosaur world. It was and still is thought of as one of the Golden Age of Radio's best children's programs and it is a shame that only 7 episodes are available today.

If you have never heard of this series, the newest video on the CMA YouTube channel is a great place to start of with this 1945 episode followed by the first of three cartoons made by the Paramount/Famous Studios in 1947.

The Land Of The Lost [radio]. Land Of The Knives Of The Square Table. October 28, 1945. Mutual Network. Isabel Manning Hewson (hostess).
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Land of the Lost (1948)
8 minute animated short. June 7, 1948

Jackson Beck - Red Lantern / King Knife / Dirty Dirk (voice) (uncredited)
Jack Mercer - Knives of the Round Table (voice) (uncredited)
Mae Questel - Isabel (voice) (uncredited)
Cecil Roy - Billy (voice) (uncredited)