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
Showing 1-13 of 13
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!
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
How about Romper Room with Miss Linda?
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!!!
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