 |
| 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
