From The Archives: A Quiz Kids Radio Postcard

Above and below is a front and back view of a vintage postcard from the classic radio series "Quiz Kids" (1940-1953). Dated some time in the 1940s, this postcard was a special Christmas gift from my wife.

September 2021 Part 1 - This Month in Kids Media

It has been over a year since I posted a feature based on children's media anniversaries. September being the traditional fall season debut month makes it a great time to restart.

A cropped publicity photo of the cast of "Sky King". Image for Wikimedia Commons.

70 Years Ago - September 16, 1951. The television adaptation of radio's "Sky King" debuted on ABC-TV. The aviation western series would make iconic 1950s stars of its leads (above left to right) Kirby Grant Gloria Winters, and Ron Hagerty.

    (Above: A 1953 ABC promo for Sky King and other ABC Saturday Morning TV Series)

The TV Version of "Sky King" was to be a replacement for "The Magic Slate", another children's series sponsored by Swift Foods Peter Pan Peanut Butter.

(Above: Radio ad at the end of Mutual's "Sky King" for TV's "The Magic Slate" another program, sponsored by Peter Pan Peanut Butter).

Thunderbolt the Wondercolt - TV's First Super Animal Series

Thunderbolt The Wondercolt

Broadcast: June 03, 1953 - July 1955 ** KTTV Los Angeles, CA. Weekdays at 6:00pm Pacific Time.

Sponsors; Challenger Dairy Products.

Producer: Bob Clampett.

The Hook: If considered a superhero-themed show, Thunderbolt would be the second or third superhero program in TV history after "Adventures of Superman" with George Reeves.

Thunderbolt the Wondercolt was a children's puppet TV series about the adventures of a horse with a super-powered secret identity. It aired weekday afternoons on station KTTV from Los Angeles, California from 1953** - 1955.

Thunderbolt is extra unique as a spinoff from animation legend Bob Clampett's Emmy-winning "Time For Beany series. That meant satire to pull in an adult audience just as "Beany" had pulled in Albert Einstein. From review articles in Los Angeles newspapers the series was popular during its short run, and it is unfortunate the so few of the Clampett puppet shows are available to the public today.

An overlooked aspect of "Thunderbolt" is that it debuted on Wednesday, June 3, 1953, less than a year after "Adventures of Superman" with George Reeves. This makes it a contender for TV's second superhero series (3rd if "The Lone Ranger" with Clayton Moore counts.

If this claim is over the top, since it is a satirical puppet series, Thunderbolt could at least be considered the TV's first super animal.

Sources:

**Broadcast dates are based on newspaper TV listings of station KTTV from The Los Angeles Times. While the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) lists the show as starting in 1952, the following articles list Thunderbolt as a "new creation" from Clampett.

Ames, Walter. "Star Studded Palsy Show on KECA Tonight; Thunderbolt The Colt Is New Puppet Hit". June 5, 1953.

T. V. Tops. "To Be Seen and Heard". June 8, 1953. San Bernadino County Sun. https://www.newspapers.com/image/49399034