A research blog on the history of radio, film, television and classroom media geared towards children and young audiences through most of the 20th century.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
