Searching For 1950s Saturday Morning TV Promos

When a classic kid's TV show from the Golden Age of Television is lost or missing, it is hoped that footage or any visual of a program may exist in promos within other broadcasts.

I really hope to find promos for ABC-TV's "Acrobat Ranch" and "Animal Clinic", TV's first Saturday Morning shows for kids. Those programs debuted in 1951 70 years ago this summer. One complete episode of the former is archived and has surfaced online, while "Animal Clinic" is not listed in a searchable library/archive. So far I have found a promo from a few years later. 

(Above) 1953 ABC Saturday Morning Promos - Space Patrol, Sky King, and More"

This slide promo for ABC-TV Saturday Morning programs aired Friday, February 13, 1953 in the opening of the "Tales of Tomorrow" episode "Another Chance" with Leslie Nielsen. The announcer implies that the parents tell their sleeping children not to miss the ABC programs to air the next morning, Valentine's Day 1953. Did the network air a version of this promo earlier in the day that was before a child's bedtime? 

This promo includes visual slides for the following programs. 

1) "Scouting In Action" - I have not found a lot about this series except that it may have originated in Chicago in Summer of 1951 and aired nationally a year later. It is a forgotten series in the history of children's television. Any info on this program is appreciated.

2) "Rootie Kazootie Show" is a well-documented puppet program with one episode on the Children's Media Archive YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/fPjEC5cqk8A 

 

3) "Space Patrol" was a classic early space opera with Ed Kemmer as Commander Buzz Corey. Of all the 1950s kid's space shows, it is considered the best all-around. Also heard on ABC radio with the same cast. 

4) "Sky King" is a fondly remembered aviation/western adventure series with Kirby Grant, Gloria Saunders, and Ron Hagerthy. It was based on an ABC radio series that debuted in 1946.

5) "Hail The Champ" was a 1950s Chicago game show hosted by Howie Roberts and Angel Casey where kids competed in fun athletic games for prizes. Decades before "Double Dare" this was Nickelodeon before Nickelodeon. One episode exists in the UCLA Film/Television Archives.

The search for rare kids' shows, and promos will continue. If you know of a promo for a rare kids TV show from 1941 - 1960, please leave a comment or write to archivebuilder@gmail.com with "TV promo" as the subject heading. 

From The Archives: More Jon Gnagy Inspired Artwork

Another great thrift store find is this 1950 edition of "Learn to Draw" by Jon Gnagy America's first television art instructor. What makes this worn copy so special is that it includes artwork based on Gnagy's instructions. The name "Emma" is written on the top left cover in pencil and we can assume these were her sketches. Other drawings in this book included a portrait of a dog and a colored picture of a bird.

2021 is the 75th anniversary year of Gnagy's first appearances on television (May 13, 1946). According to some television histories, Gnagy's program could be considered the first children's program on regular broadcast television. This may be true for the post-war period when television finally began to captivate the masses. Gnagy's program "You Are An Artist" (1946-1950) predated NBC's "Campus Hoopla" (1946-1947), a teen dancing program, by seven months.

Whoever "Emma" was, she showed promosing talent. She was most likely a young girl born between 1930 and 1945. This copy with Emma's art was found in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina.