Juvenile Mystery Collection 004: Building A Donald J. Sobol Collection

This year is the 60th anniversary of the famed boy detective Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown. Created by Donald J. Sobol (1924-2012) and first published in 1963, the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries remain in print for 21st century readers.

It has been fun finding and examining different editions of the series, especially first editions.

As a childhood fan, I was recently surprised to learn Sobol had created another juvenile detective, Angie. "Angie's First Case" may have been an unsuccessful first entry into a girl detective who had a police officer for a sister, similar to how Encyclopedia Brown helped his police Chief father.

Juvenile Mystery Collection 003 - Biff, Nancy, & Trixie

It has been nearly 5 years, but here is a another round of teen detectives that may have helped you pass the EOG reading tests.

Trixie Belden and the Happy Valley Mystery was the 9th adventure of the popular 13 year old detective. Published in 1962 it was the 3rd book written by "Kathryn Kenny" a Western Publishing nom de plume.

Hawaiian Sea Hunt Mystery was the 3rd of Grosset & Dunlap's Biff Brewster Adventures. Published in 1960, the series of 15 books were written by "Andy Adams" an in-house name shared by authors. Walter B. Gibson, Edward Pastore, and Peter Harkins.

The Scarlet Slipper Mystery was originally the 32nd adventure in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. Published in 1954, it was written by Charles Stanley Strong, under the Grosset & Dunlap house pseudonym "Carolyn Keene".

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.