MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SEMINAR SERIES, THE: FIRST KIDS ON THE BLOCK: HOSTS OF NEW YORK CHILDREN'S SHOWS OF THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in this series of seminars conducted by The Museum of Television & Radio. In this seminar, moderated by Museum television curator, David Bushman, hosts of New York children's television programs of the 1950s and 1960s discuss their work. The evening begins with a screening of clips from the following shows: "Wonderama" (1966); a Zacherle guest appearance on "The Dick Clark Beech-Nut Show" (1958); "The Soupy Sales Show" (1962 and 1965); and "The Chuck McCann Show" (1965). After the screening, the following children's television hosts from the fifties and sixties join Bushman on stage: Sonny Fox, Chuck McCann, "Captain" Jack McCarthy, Soupy Sales, and Zacherle. The panel discusses the following topics: the frenetic, improvisational nature of production and performance on these shows; how each man became involved in television; humorous anecdotes about incidents that occurred on the shows, including--on McCann's Show-- a talking doll that wouldn't stop talking and a live lion who walked right out of the studio and into an elevator. Questions from the audience lead to comments on the following topics, among others: how Zacherle started doing his movie cut-ins on "Shock Theater"; censorship and a famous incident in which Sales was suspended for jokingly telling kids to send him the money from their parents' pockets; how McCann came to dress up as Lil' Orphan Annie on his show; the lack of current programming for children over eight years old; the role the hosts served as big brothers or surrogate fathers to many of the children who watched them; the community-building effects of local programming, which has all but vanished today in favor of syndicated packages.
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: November 2, 1994 6:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:31:40
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:34767
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Bushman … Moderator
- Sonny Fox … Panelist
- Chuck McCann … Panelist
- Jack McCarthy … Panelist
- Soupy Sales … Panelist
- Zacherle … Panelist