Howdy Doody at 75: Looking at 75 Significant Moments

Image from Howdy Doody Comics # 10, September 1951. Dell Comics

TV's legendary Howdy Doody Show premiered 75 years ago today (December 27 1947), as the Puppet Playhouse for NBC-TV Affliates. Howdy Doody is too significant a series to try to recognize in a single day. So, why not look at 75 key moments in the the series history across a years. Is this a realistic goal? Maybe, maybe not. Let's see where this research will be next December 27th.

Christmas Gems From The Golden Age of Radio

 

Before TV dominated the American home, radio provided all the beloved Christmas specials. It has been said that no broadcast was more eagerly awaited each year than Lionel Barrymore's annual Christmas day performance as Ebeneezer Scrooge (1934 - 1953). Presented here is a 30 minute adaptation from 1949, the 15th annual performance.

If you like Christmas movies....you will like old-time radio treats like this episode of Stars Over Hollywood. "Time For Christmas" is the story of a war widow and single mom (Anita Louise) who wants to keep Christmas for her little girl. Louise's leading man is a very young John Stephenson, best remembered today as the voice of Mr. Slate from The Flintstones. Hearing him in this radio drama shows his versatility as a voice actor.

Children's Comics 008: Tizzie's Thanksgiving Dinner

From Polly Pigtails November 1948, this is a humorous story with their recurring comic star Tizzie.

FCC

An ad for a Tizzie marionette from the same issue.

The Lost Adventures of Breezy Eason Jr.

Born 108 years ago today, (November 19, 1914) was child actor "Breezy" Reeves Eason Jr. "Universal's Littlest Cowboy". Named Barnes Reeves Eason Jr., at birth, he was the son of serial and action film director B. Reeves Eason Sr. (1886-1955) and actress Jimsy Maye (1893-1968).

Image from Wikimedia Commons

After starring in a dozen films, mostly westerns for Universal Studios directed by his father, Eason  Jr. was tragically killed from injuries sustained in an accident involving a runaway truck outside the family home in 1921 at the age of six. He reportedly died at a hospital with his parents and actor Harry Carey at his bedside. 

After learning about this story, I always think about Breezy Jr when I watch "The Phantom Empire" (1935) Undersea Kingdom "(1936) and other cliffhanger serials directed by Breezy Sr.

Oakland Tribune, October 26, 1921.

Profile article on the Eason family. From Moving Picture Weekly, December 18, 1920.

Of the twelve** films Eason Jr starred in, none of his westerns have survived; at least as far as my research has shown. Unless otherwise stated all of the films listed below were directed by his father B. Reeves Eason Sr. If found, his complete filmography would be in the public domain today. BOLD = Extant

Gold and the Woman** (1916) - A Fox Films Drama starring Theda Bara. Breezy Jr's role was minor. This was on of hundreds of films lost in the infamous Fox Vault Fire in 1937. 

Nine-Tenths of the Law (1918) - A drama of the Northwoods that also co-starred his father B. Reeves Eason Sr. 

The Kid and the Cowboy (1919) - In this western film, serial hero and rodeo champion Art Acord played Breezy Jr.'s father. Universal Film Co. 

The Thunderbolt (1919) - Dir. Colin Campbell. A drama starring Katherine MacDonald and Thomas Meighan. Eason Jr. plays their son. 

Two Kinds of Love (1920) - This was the last film to star actress Jimsy Maye a.k.a. Mrs. B. Reeves Eason Sr and Breezy Jr's mother. She also co-starred with her son in "Nine-Tenths of the Law". 

The Prospector's Vengeance (1920) - A western short starring Pat O'Malley. 

The Texas Kid [a.k.a. "His Nose in the Book"] (1920) - Hoot Gibson stars in this western short, with Breezy Jr. as "Bobby Carson"/

Pink Tights (1920) - A melodrama starring Jack Perrin as a local minister who aids a circus performer. Breezy Jr. has a supporting role as a boy named Johnny Bump. 

The Lone Ranger (1920) - This short film starring Leo D. Maloney has nothing to do with "that masked man"

Blue Streak McCoy (1920) - Harry Carey is the cowboy this time. Another child star legend from the time Ben Alexander is also in this film. Alexander was later Sgt. Frank Smith on "Dragnet". 

Guthrie, (Guthrie OK) Daily Leader, April 22, 1921

The Big Adventure (1921) - Of all his lost films, this is the one that I wished would resurface today. Eason is the lead in a story of Patches an orphan who runs away from his cruel stepfather. His adventure with his dog leads to a kind hearted woman who is the sister of judge in a small town. 

The Fox (1921) - Teamed up with Harry Carey again as the boy "Pard" to the hero who turns out to be a government agent. Directed by Robert Thornby. 

Sure Fire (1921) - A western directed by John Ford and starring Hoot Gibson. His last completed film It was released to theaters a few weeks after Eason's death, on November 5th, 1921. 

The 1920 drama "Pink Tights" may be his only available film today. A print was found in the Danish Film Institute. It is available online via YouTube and "Silents Are Golden" Channel with restored English subtitles. 

Further research on the life of B. Reeves Eason Jr. will go into his impact on children who saw him on the big screen just a little over a century ago. He was a boy whose father was a director, his mother an actress, and who bonded with Harry Carey and other movie heroes of the time. On can imagine that many boys and girls of the time imagined themselves in his shoes. 

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

 08 May 1921

Information about the existence of these films comes from SilentEra.com. If this information is incorrect and you know of surviving prints of these films, please leave a comment, or write to archivebuilder@gmail.com with "Breezy Eason" in the subject header. 

** Only Wikipedia claims that Eason Jr. had a role in 1916's "Gold and the Woman" His IMDB filmography begins with "Nine-Tenths of the Law". 

Is The Children's Media Archive Real?

Yes Virginia, There is a Children's Media Archive....in theory! Here is a history of how this blog and accompanying YouTube channel began.

As a 1990s kid, I consumed new kids shows from both TV and VHS tapes. In a typical week I looked forward to the syndicated Disney Afternoon shows and a new episode of Family Matters on 5he ABC TGIF lineup. My parents are baby boomers, and it was through them and my grandmother that I was encouraged to try Abbott and Costello, The Three Stooges, Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, Shirley Temple and much more.

As an adolescent I was perfectly comfortable watching media that children would have enjoyed from multiple generations across 75 years. My bedroom included VHS tapes recordings of movie serials from American Movie Classics, old time radio sets from Radio Spirits, and books on every day life in American history. The 1930s was a favorite decade of study, when radio, comic strips, sound features and mass merchandise properties began to dominate the American childhood. Gradually, I accepted my growing fascination with what entertained, and educated kids from the past century.

A decade ago while studying instructional technology in college, I developed an idea that if today's content creators, digital storytellers, teachers, and media makers studied the kids media of yesteryear, it would lead to richer content today and a greater appreciation for the changes in methods, storytelling and technology across a century. 

An example of this would be comparing NBC TV Ding Dong School's Dr. Frances Horwich with a YouTube content creator for children. In the early 1950s "Miss Frances" Horwich was limited to one television camera on a studio set, compared to a teacher today who can record, edit, stream, and share multiple videos (in Color!!) with their phone.

Admittedly outside of this theory, it is still fascinating to learn about what past generations watched, read, or listened to. For fun one can for a few minutes imagine being part of the first generation to watch TV, or learn about kids who made their own instructional films with a super 8mm camera. With an episode of Radio's The Lone Ranger, Red Ryder, and Little Orphan Annie you can be Ralphie from "A Christmas Story".

Part of research collection before it was placed in storage earlier this year. If you squint, you can see hundreds of DVDs and VHS tapes, children's 45 LP records, and toys from Fisher Price, G.I. JOE and more.

Learning about historical children's media can also give an appreciation for how we became a society where a kid can over consume media. Just a little over 90 years ago CBS and NBC radio had only a handful of programs for children directed by Yolande Langworthy and Madge Tucker. 75 years ago the youngest baby boomers began to watch Howdy Doody, and the Small Fry Club on television. From 30 years ago, I remember the wonder, and curiosity of VHS tapes, and whether it was a big deal not having cable, since the networks still had the best kid shows anyway.

While several colleges and universities in the United States have archival collections full of children's literature, and others have rare children's films as part of a large collection, I am not aware of a massive collection devoted solely to the study of children's audio & video media; across decades and formats.

Materials in storage include a collection of TV Guides from the "Little House on the Prairie" (1974-1983) TV series, and a file box on James Basquette, the pioneering Oscar winning actor who starred in Disney's "Song of the South".

This motivated me to create an experimental "children's media archive" collection. In 2015, I began this blog to practice writing for books, and a YouTube channel to share content. My personal research collection has grown to include materials from the estates of Ireene Wicker, Mary Hartline, rare signed books by 1920s children's radio hosts, numerous recordings in multiple formats, reference books, and small toys. 

The blog and YouTube logo were handdrawn, with text added with Microsoft Paint.

As a trained librarian and archivist, I organize and preserve items as if I were running an actual children's media archive. Most of my collection is currently in storage as my wife and I make room for our own expanding family(!) 

I am especially proud that children are using the resources of this blog for their school projects. It is terrific to know that today's kids are looking into the past.

10 Comic Characters You Did Not Know Were On The Radio

Ad For the NBC Archie Andrews radio series, from "Pep Comics" #54, Sept. 1945. 

When it comes to Golden Age kids' radio shows and comics from the same period, many people will remember scenes from A Christmas Story where Ralphie is a fan of the Little Orphan Annie radio series. The theme from the Red Ryder radio series is also heard in a dream sequence. It is interesting to note the many classic comic strips or comic books quickly made the transition from the page to the radio.

Buck Rogers - Regarded as Radio's first Sci-Fi series, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century premiered in 1932 on CBS radio. The series ran periodically until 1947. Buck would continue to have adventures in a 1939 movie serial, and two TV series.

Batman - While the Caped Crusader had two failed radio pilots (one in 1943, a second in 1950), he was a frequent guest on "The Adventures of Superman" radio program. Batman was usually portrayed by Stacy Harris or Gary Merrill. Robin was portrayed by Ronny Liss. Interestingly, Harris was the star of "This Is Your FBI", and Liss was occasionally cast as troubled juveniles in this series.

Flash Gordon - A year before Buster Crabbe took off to the planet Mongo on the serial screen, Gale Gordon brought the famous hero to life. "The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon" radio serial also starred Bruno Hampton as Emperor Ming. The actress who played Dale Arden (and maybe Princess Aura as well) is still unidentified.

Blondie - Following the success of the first two Blondie films starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake, a radio series began on CBS in 1939. Lake was heard as Dagwood throughout the entire run which ended in 1950. While Blondie is one of the world's longest-running comic strips, it has yet to be adapted successfully as a TV series. The 1957 and 1968 versions both lasted one season or less.

Bob Hasting as Archie on "The Adventures of Archie Andrews". Images from Wikimedia Commons.

Archie Andrews - A long, long, time before "Riverdale", and even Saturday Morning's "The Archie Show", the comic teen was the star of a Saturday morning radio series. The most famous radio Archie was Bob Hastings. This was the first of his many pop culture roles. Hastings was also the voice of Superboy in the 1960s Filmation cartoon series, and Commissioner Gordon on "Batman The Animated Series". He even appeared as a cop in the 1977 Spider-Man TV movie.

Blackhawk - The DC Comics military team appeared in a short-lived radio program in 1950 that ran for an estimated 16 episodes. The lead character was voiced by Michael Fitzmaurice was also replaced Bud Collyer as the voice of Superman during that program's final season. No broadcasts of the program are known to exist today.

Superman - Mentioned earlier in this list the "Adventures of Superman" (1940 - 1951) is probably the greatest juvenile adventure program from Radio's golden age. The series introduced mainstays to the Man of Steel's legacy like Jimmy Olsen, kryptonite, The Daily Planet as the newspaper name, Inspector Henderson, and storylines where Batman and Robin actually work together (not just nice comic covers).

Popeye - E. C. Seger's spinach-loving sailor appeared in a popular radio series sponsored by Wheatena, a hot cereal. This led to many fun adventures where the famous sailor man got a boost from a hot wheat cereal instead of spinach. 

Blue Beetle -  The original Blue Beetle was Dan Garrett a police officer who fought crime with a costume made of bulletproof chainmail. He jumped from the comic to the air very quickly after Superman in 1940. 

Ad for The Blue Beetle radio series in "Blue Beetle" Comics #05, Nov-Dec. 1940.

Skippy - Probably the least familiar title on this list but very significant in comic history. A film adaptation that year became the first and only comic adaptation to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Along with Little Orphan Annie, Skippy was one of Radio's first serialized juvenile adventure programs. No episodes exist today.

The Many Faces and Voices of Yolande Langworthy

An overlooked figure in the history of American children's radio is Canadian born singer, writer and poet Yolande Langworthy (1892 - 1976). For nearly 2 short years from 1928 to 1930 she wrote, directed and sometimes acted in children's radio series for the young Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).

Langworthty was a contralto singer who performed on American radio stations as early as 1922 under her married name Frances Reade. For still unknown reasons she adapted the nom de plume "Yolande Langworthty" and became a famed and notable director, writer and producer for CBS. 

Her most acclaimed series was "Arabesque", (1928-1930) a prime time drama series that modernized the 1001 Arabian Nights saga with poetic readings and acting. Langworthy also portrayed "Lizzie Twitch" on one of the networks earliest comedy-variety series "The Nit-Wits" which was CBS' rival series to NBC's "The Cuckoo Hour".

Yolande Langworthy dressed in Arabian/gypsy garb for "Arabesque" on CBS radio, c. 1929.

Langworthy (Second from Left) as "Lizzie Twitch" on "The Nit Wit Hour" or "The Nit Wits"., From Radio Digest, March 1931.

Her contributions to children's media include the public recognition as "director of Columbia's children's programs". While acting, writing and directing Arabesque, Langworthy was in charge of at least 3 children's radio programs for CBS. "Mountainville Sketches" or "Littmann's Mountainville Sketches" was a series about a small town with a child and adult cast. The series was created with the intent to foster understanding between parents and children. Langworthy portrayed a teacher's wife. 

Yolande Langworthy (center) with Artells Dickson captain of the "Ship of Dreams" on "Land O' Make Believe", and Patricia "Pat" Ryan possibly the first child star on CBS.  From "What's On The Air, August 1930.

There was also a Sunday morning fantasy series called "Land O' Make Believe". The program with her most lasting legacy was the "Adventures of Helen and Mary" a Saturday morning fantasy series about two little girls Helen (Jean Derby and Patricia "Pat" Ryan) and Mary (Estelle Levy**), whose storybook fantasies were enacted by adult performers. Levy and Ryan were featured in all the other children's programing on CBS. This series was the cornerstone for the acclaimed children's series Let's Pretend.

In "Let's Pretender" Arthur Anderson's (1922-2016) wonderful book "Let's Pretend and the Golden Age of Radio", it is claimed that either CBS executives or founder William S. Paley wasn't pleased with her scripts, and felt that another writer/director was needed for the children's program. However, Langworthy's departure from CBS coincides with a lawsuit that she filed in New York Supreme Court against the network to retain rights to her "Arabesque" stories. So, for whatever reason, two years of creative writing and directing by Miss Langworthy came to an end. 

She was replaced by Nila Mack (1891-1953) "The Fairy Godmother of Radio" and the rest is history. Mack does deserves credit for turning "Helen and Mary" into the Peabody award winning "Let's Pretend". However Langworthy's tenure on the series is worth more investigating after 92 years.

This blogger is not aware of surviving scripts or recordings for the children's series directed by Langworthy so it is impossible to objectively judge the quality of content that she created for children. Without revealing too much personal information for now, Langworthy returned to Canada, where she passed away at the age of 84.

If you have additional information about Yolande Langworhty, please leave a comment or write to archivebuilder@gmail.com with "Yolande Langworthy" as the subject header. 

**In 1941 Estelle Levy began singing and professionally acting as "Gwen Davies". As of 2004 she is believed to still be living. If anyone has more information about her please leave a comment. 

Abbott and Costello's "Jack And The Beanstalk" at 70!

A childhood favorite to generations of children, "Jack and The Beanstalk" premiered April 12, 1952. One of two independent productions by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello during their time at Universal Studios, "Jack and the Beanstalk" is a fun musical comedy version of the famous folk tale.

The production is not as stellar as "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), the film it tries to imitate in design, but it is fun for children and families. As a 1990s kid who first saw this film on VHS it was an equal to "Oz" or any other live action fantasy film

Initial reviews of the film in 1952 were mixed to positive, and overwhelmingly recommending the movie to kids. Praised among the cast were Buddy Baer as the giant, 6' 2" Dorothy Ford as the giant's housekeeper, and Barbara Brown as Jack's mother. Adding romance and excellent singing were James Alexander, a stage veteran as the Prince, and Shaye Cogan a television vocalist as the Princess. 

The songs are fun and well written. Costello is a surprisingly good singer, able to still be funny while bolting a rhyming lyric.

Today after 70 years the film looks and sounds better than ever with new 4K restorations.

Watch Jack and the Beanstalk: 4k Restoration Special Edition on Tubi: https://link.tubi.tv/9mKqvnqjbpb

Building an Art Linkletter Collection

As a millenial, I grew up watching the Bill Cosby version of "Kids Say The Darndest Things" which aired from 1998 to 2000 on CBS. The Cosby version, like the new reboot with Tiffany Haddish, showed classic clips with original host Art Linkletter (1912-2012). Linkletter was fascinating to watch and the clips had a timelessness about them. 

A week before the passing of Art Linkletter in May 2010, I purchased a vintage copy of his 1966 book "The Secret World of Kids". Linkletter's books remain fascinating today for his communication with children on the classic "Kids Say The Darndest Things" TV segments. Some of the topics the children would bring up are also great time capsules about what 1950s to 1960s children knew, or thought they knew.

Across the past 12 years, I have slowly picked up other copies of Linkletter's books plus ephemera from his days as a judge for Pillsbury competitions. With these materials there can be an Art Linkletter subject collection.

TV's Small Fry Club at 75

According to many TV histories, when Small Fry Club (originally "Movies For Small Fry) premiered March 11, 1947 it was the first children's program to air on a multiple stations by a network. In this case the DuMont Network.

It was a new beginning for commercial broadcasting for American children. Big Brother Bob Emory (1897 - 1982) would be a familiar and welcome face on the small screen months before Fran Allison and even Buffalo Bob Smith. 

A real Small Fry Club for membership did exist and children would receive membership cards. The orginal Small Fry Club ended in 1951. Reportedly only a small portion of one episode has survived to this day. 

Those small children who watched old movies and cartoons with Big Brother Bob, and the puppet shows, lessons on good manners, and funny characters would most likely be between 75 and 84 years of age today. If you remember this gem from TV's golden age please leave a comment or write to archivebuilder@gmail.com with "Small Fry Club" as a header.

Lost Kids TV - Famous Fairy Tales on WXYZ-TV

 Famous Fairy Tales

Aired: c. January 1949*** to January 1950 or 1951(?) WXYZ-TV Detroit, Michigan. Various times, usually Mondays at 7:00pm EST.

Puppets and Stories: Betty Rypsam and Marion Parker.

 

The Hook (what makes this series extra appealing): An overlooked early children's series depicting fairy tales by a gifted college graduate.

 

Radio station WXYZ  of Detroit, Michigan was famously known as "the last name in radio" and as a powerhouse of legendary juvenile radio shows like The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet. When the WXYZ television station launched in October 1948 series for children's premiered soon after.  

Betty Rypsam as president of the Michigan State University Orcheis Modern Dance Artists, from the 1947 Wolverine Yearbook, Michigan State University. Image courtesy of the University Archives and Historical Collections of Michigan State University.

One of the first kids series on WXYZ-TV was called "Famous Fairy Tales". The star of this program was Betty Rypsam a recent art graduate from Michigan State University. Rypsam was only 21 years old when she signed a 13 week contract to do a puppet show on the station. The 13 weeks turned in a full year of programs every Monday at 7:00pm. Well qualified for this series Rypsam had crafted puppets since the age of 8 and drew attention in the local media for co-writing puppet shows.

The Detroit Free Press newspaper devoted a full page article to Rypsam's puppetry, which earned her additional praise in the Puppetry Journal published by the Puppeteers of America. In a few newspaper TV schedules, her puppets were billed as the "Rypsam Marionettes." As a student Rypsam was president of the MSU Orcheis Modern Dance Artist Organization, and one wonders if she incorporated dance into her TV storytelling as well. 

Betty Rypsam, early TV puppeteer for WXYZ Detroit. 13 Aug 1950, Sun Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Michigan) Newspapers.com

Helping her with scripts, voices and manipulating the puppets for "Famous Fairy Tales" was a woman named Marion Parker. As of this writing no other information has been found on Parker.

The exact format of the program is unknown. The programs can be found in TV listings for Canada, and Ohio. Only a handful of titles could be pulled from station listings which include:

• WXYZ-TV. 1949, May 02, 8:00pm - "Jorinda and Joringel" 
• WXYZ-TV. 1949, September 12, 7:00pm "Peasants Wise Daughter" 
• WXYZ-TV. 1949, September 19, 7:00pm "Tortoise and The Hare. 

"Famous Fairy Tales" disappeared from TV listings after January 1950. Rypsam and Parker did return to the air, but with adventure stories instead of fairy tales. The new name of their series and whether they switched stations is still unknown. A 1984 article in the Detroit Free Times claimed that their series ran until 1951. After 1955 Betty married and became Betty Schudel. She passed away in Naples, Florida in 2012.

If you have more information about Betty Rypsam, Marion Parker or "Famous Fairy Tales " on WXYZ-TV please leave a comment or email archivebuilder@gmail.com with "Rypsam" or "Famous Fairy Tales" as a subject. 

***Notes: A program called "Grimms' Fairy Tales" aired on WXYZ-TV from October to December 1948. It is unknown if this program was the predecessor to "Famous Fairy Tales".

Links/References. 

Sterling, Pauline. "Betty Keeps Busy: One Puppet Show 4 Months' Work" Detroit Free Press, 1950 August 13. Page 29. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92089518/betty-rypsam-early-tv-puppeteer-for-wxy/

Puppetry Journal, 1949: Vol 1., Iss 1: https://archive.org/details/sim_puppetry-journal_1949_1_1/page/n7/mode/1up?q=television 

Puppetry Journal August 1950 Vol 2. Issue 1 - https://archive.org/details/sim_puppetry-journal_1950-08_2_1/page/22/mode/2up?q=%22marion+parker%22