Thursday, October 1, 2009
Mysteries Does Anyone Remember This TV Show?
Posted by Vance Lauderdale on Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 3:22 PM
Jeanna Hartzog has written me from Silver Creek, Mississippi, inquiring about a local TV show that she and her sister appeared on in the early 1960s. I immediately thought she was talking about "Dance Party" hosted by Wink Martindale, or the later "Talent Party" hosted by George Klein, but apparently not. Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Here's the letter:
I hope someone there can help me by providing some information.
My parents moved to Memphis in 1957 and I was born there in 1959. Around 1962, I only know at three years old, my sister and I appeared on a local children’s show. We were the featured quests, coming out of the audience to do the new dance, The Twist.
I began to think about this when my sister died several years ago. My parents can no longer remember the station or the name of the show. They mistakenly thought Wink Martindale was the host, but a very nice email from him said that was not so.
Do you have any knowledge of this show, the station, or the host? I know there are certainly people in the Memphis community who would have this knowledge, but I don’t know how to find them. I have made phone calls and wrote a columnist with no success.
Thank you for your time.
Jeanna McManus Hartzog
medbsw@yahoo.com
P.O. Box 124
Silver Creek, Mississippi 39663
601-660-5720
Comments (36)
Showing 1-36 of 36
Two shows come to mind, both of which were on WMCT Channel 5. One is Looney Zoo, whose hosts were Trent Wood and Tiny the clown. This was a kids' show that had a live kids' audience and they had magic performances, treats for the kids, and showed cartoons.
The other, and more likely show in this case, was a locally produced talent show that aired live late on Saturday mornings. There was always all kinds of talent, but mostly kids up to about age 15, I think, and they usually had live music accompaniment and kids could do anything ... dance, sing, whatever. Sorry I cannot remember the name of this show!
like
dislike
The Cousin Tuny show was on Channel 7 out of Jackson. Cousin Tuny would interview the children, and they had other things on the show, cartoons and etc.
The name of the Memphis show that featured local "kid" talent was called "Talent Showcase." I haven't lived in the Memphis area for over 15 years, but I certainly recall all of the old TV programming and enjoy Vance's updates very much.
My wife remembers "Pride of the Southland." Channel 5 on Saturday, but she does not remember the host.
The host was TRENT WOOD. I was on the program as a Girl Scout in 1958. It was in the WMC studio. He was a good looking man! We either sang or danced, that I don't recall. But we got down to the studio early in the morning; it was a live show. I think fbunday was right about "Pride of the Southland."
My late wife, Sally Ann Sparrenberger and her friend Lisa Stampley, both from Maywood, Mississippi, sang a song that Sally's Dad wrote called "Fly Your Flag On The Fourth of July" on Pride of the Southland about 1959 or 1960. The show later became Talent Showcase for some unknown reason.
Who remembers, or was on, Channel 13's Mars Patrol, hosted by Wink Martindale? Talk about hokey! The show with Tiny the Clown (actually a professor at Southwestern College) had another guy called Mr. Magic that did slight-of-hand for the kiddies. He wasn't Trent Wood.
The character of Tiny the Clown was played quite well by Dr. Ray Hill, a professor at Southwestern. Mr. Magic was none other than Dick Williams, who hosted a show called Magicland, which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running magic show on television.
Thanks so much for all the responses! I'm going to have to get them all organized as I have heard from others, too. I really don't think it was a talent show — I remember a puppet "theatre" and an audience of just children. There may have been showcased talent but that wasn't the focus of the show. I know it was filmed in Memphis. My mother says some neighbor children went with us that day — three children by the names of L., G., and M. McOwens — if anyone knows how to get in touch with siblings with those initials. They should all be in their early fifties at this time. Maybe they or their parents would remember. Thanks! Jeanna Hartzog
My guess is Looney Zoo, which ran for a number of years on WMC-TV (Channel 5). It had puppets and lots of kids, and since it was live every day, kids occasionally sang a song, or danced, etc.
You might enjoy contacting WKNO-TV to make a pledge and get a copy of "Memphis Memoirs: When TV Came to Town." I produced this a few years ago and it contains pretty much every bit of old local TV footage that still exists. You might see something that you recognize!
Great shows, but I mostly like the shows here: http://www.superstreamtv.com/page/Streamin…
HAPPY HAL!!! I'M BETTING THAT IS THE SHOW YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. GOOGLE HAPPY HAL, MEMPHIS TN. HE ALSO HAD TOY RACKS IN DIME STORES ALL AROUND MEMPHIS.
http://www.memphishistory.org/Fun/HappyHal…
THIS IS A LINK TO AN ARTICLE ABOUT HAPPY HAL. HE WAS ON CHANNEL 13 WHICH WAS ABC AT THE TIME. HE IS SHOWING ONE OF THE PUPPETS YOU REMEMBER. I LOVED HAPPY HAL!!!
Hi Memphis fans!,
My name is Tom Holbrook, I am a historian researching Memphis TV from the 1950s;
I am looking for more info on Professor/Dr. Ray (Raymond) Hill. He was Tiny the Tramp on Zoony Zoo, and a few others,...
ANY info, photos, and articles are needed.
all the best,
Tom
email; bozo_history at yahoo dot com
Tom, first of all, the name of the show was "Looney Zoo," and it was hosted by Trent Wood. As far as I know, Trent is still alive, though I'm not sure where he is living right now. He believe he attended Rhodes College (back in the days when it was called Southwestern), so you may be able to locate him through their alumni department. Also, Ray Hill was a theatre professor at Southwestern, so somebody in their archives may have information about him.
I would also contact the Special Collections Department at the University of Memphis Libraries, which maintains the old Memphis Press-Scimitar newspaper files, and may have clippings and photos about the show and its two stars.
Talent Showcase. Channel 3. Saturdays around mid-day. GREAT show! I always wanted to be on there. However, I don't think it was the program the writer was asking about b/c these people didn't come out of the audience; they were all ready to perform when they got there. They spotlighted talent of all sorts, from singers and dancers to ventriloquists and magic acts. Great show!
Sounds like "Talent Showcase." I appeared on it several times (oh to be in third grade and the excitement that followed on Monday morning after appearing on Talent Showcase on Saturday!). They had a huge variety of talent -- everything from music, dancing, magic, puppets -- everything. There was also "Magicland" with Dick Williams. Occasionally, he would let kids perform or do things on the air from assisting to performing. He also used puppets on the show ...
Trent Wood and his wife Mae is in Tulsa. He was in investment banking and retired from Liberty Bank in 1997. Wood left Memphis back in 1976. Can find a write up of him and wife in the summer 2004 edtion of the University of Tulsa Magazine.
Trent Wood and his wife Mae is in Tulsa. He was in investment banking and retired from Liberty Bank in 1997. Wood left Memphis back in 1976. There is a write up of him and his wife in the summer 2004 edtion of the University of Tulsa Magazine.
I was on a show sometime in the early '70s that featured a "Professor" who rode a unicycle and conducted science experiments. I would give anything to see that. Does anyone remember what that show was? I was chosen for it from the Campus Elementary school on the campus of Memphis State, so it may have been filmed at the University, but I just don't know. In my episode, there was hair burning on a hotplate and the discussion was about proteins. There was also cake and I wasn't nearly as excited about being on TV as I was about eating a piece of that cake. Any memories? Any ideas how I might search for this?
Another "Dance Party" hosted by somebody Darren in the '60s on Channel 13? Local San Jose tv show.
I was on the Saturday morning talent show called Pride of the Southland several times throughout the early and mid 1960's. It was hosted by Trent Wood and he would give you a bag of cookies from one of the sponsors (local, I believe) after you performed. You were not called from the audience. We knew in advance and appeared in our dance costumes. My parents still have home movies of me on this show.
Trent Wood also hosted a show called "Storyland," and this would have been around 1955 or so. It was sponsored by Dean's Milk Company. Does anyone remember this show? I was on it when I was 4 or 5 and have a glossy black-and-white picture of Trent with maybe four or five of the children who were on it with me.
I'm betting it was "Storyland", also with Trent Wood. I appeared on his show, probably around 1957, '58, or '59 and sang a solo of "Jesus Loves Me", not that I could sing that well! I just knew I could if I chose to.
I have thought of this many times over the years and would love to know if any of the taped shows were saved and what would be the chances of getting a copy.
Please e-mail me if you know how to get copies of the show, at posey.sheila@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Sheila
I sang on "Pride of the Southland" in the late '50s with my church's children's choir. We sang "Fairest Lord Jesus" and, I think, one other hymn. As I remember "Pride of the Southland," they featured a different town each Saturday morning. My best friend did a tap dance, but what other talent came from Sardis, MS, that day I don't remember. I think the sponsor was Purnell's Pride chicken, which I always thought was where "Pride" in the name came from.
Jeanna mentioned coming out of the audience to perform. The audience of "Pride of the Southland" was composed of the performers and their family members; so each act "came up out of the audience" and went up the steps to get on the stage during the commercials between each act.
Where can I find the old episodes of Talent Showcase? Mrs. Shackelford's Choir, from Forrest City, AR, performed there sometime between 1968-1970.
I remember the "Storyland" show. It normally had a panel of 5 or 6 kids of which 1 was having a birthday. I was the birthday boy the time that I was on the show. I was too young to remember the exact year but a good estimate would be 1958.
I thought Trent Wood's Storyland show was called Playhouse. I was on this show as a pre-schooler and left the story circle to sit in a fire engine peddle car on the set. Trent Wood gently asked me to come back and join the group. This cracked up my parents. I asked Dick Hawley about this many years later, and he called the show Playhouse as well. To the original poster, you had to have been on Looney Zoo. Happy Hal's show did not have kids on there in an audience. Pride of the Southland was a talent show as described. Don't forget Captain Bill's Adventure Time with Bill Killebrew and some occasional sidekicks on these shows like Tall Paul (whose LP of religious stories can be found on ebay). I don't remember the science professor show but I do remember watching a Betty Mothershed on Channel 10 every week at school who gave a lesson in science. All these people were gods in the child's universe of the fifties and sixties.
was it Coukla, Fran, and Ollie? Starring Sherri Lewis. I was only 4 in 62, but remember almost all the above mentioned shows.
I just came across an old photo captioned "Pride of the Southland - May 9, 1958." In the photo are the groups that performed that day, including myself with my three friends, an a capella quartet. The photo was taken by Jimmie Jamieson.
I was also on a local Memphis children's show in the mid-fifties at age 2 or 3-my parents tell me I sang 'Love and Marriage" and appeared with a neighborhood friend, who spilled his chocolate milk on the air! I would sure love to see a clip or photo, but have never been able to find any.
In later childhood I got to attend Looney Zoo a couple of times, for a birthday treat for friends. They served us McDonald's hamburgers as I recall.
Thanks for the memories!
I can't believe this! I was on LOONEY ZOO when the chocolate milk was spilled! I sang "Here comes Peter Cottontail"and was petrified. I was 5 years old at the time.
I hv a black and white photo of me and four other kids on Storyland with Trent Wood dated
November 2, 1953. I remember I dropped my cup of Dean's milk and it rolled under the table. That is all I remember about it. I am the cutie to the left of Trent. Anyone else in the picture please let me know.
I tap danced and sang on Pride of the Southland with my group from Kitty Porter's School of Dance in the mid sixties. How I wish there were tapes of that snow.
Better late than never, right? "Looney Zoo" was originally hosted by Harry Mabry- he was the "Looney Zookeepqr" from its start in 1956 until 1958 when he left to be news director at a WBRC in Birmingham and Trent Wood took over as a carnival guy. Here's a link to the Memphis page in Tim Hollis' book "Hi there, boys and girls!" all about the great old kids shows:
http://books.google.com/books?id=h3nCJAlg5qUC&lpg=PA260&ots=rDKbE-AzOL&dq=harry%20mabry%20memphis%20looney%20zoo&pg=PA260#v=onepage&q=harry%20mabry%20memphis%20looney%20zoo&f=false
