Local TV blasts from the past!

[Nosmo King]

When I was just a babe, local TV was replete with shows produced for kids. They were cheap, popular and most of all, fun.

I grew up in the Pittsburgh market. Here, we had Paul Shannon's Adventure Time. The studio audience was always a Campfire Girls or Cub Scout pack and Paul played Three Stooges shorts and a cheesy Japanese cartoon: Kimba The White Lion.

We also had Rickki and Copper (the weatherman's wife and their pet Irish Setter), Mr. Roger's Neighborhood WAS Pittsburgh, but best of all....Chilly Billy Cardilly! Saturday night Chiller Theater and Bill Cardill.

What kind of programming poured out of your old Black and White sets?

[Richardo]

1. I understand Joe Flaherty modeled Count Floyd and...

..."Monster Chiller Horror Theatre" after Bill Cardill's show. (Joe is also from the 'Burgh.)

[Nosmo King]

20. Yeah, Joe was there..

and Michael Keaton got his start on Mr. Roger's neighborhood!

[DBoon]

2. Shrimpenstein!

http://www.tvparty.com/lostshrimp.html

[Nosmo King]

15. That's got a lot more production value than anything in PGH...

But then again, that's LA for ya! The most "produced" segment on Paul Shannon was the wonder wheel. Just a cardboard wheel Paul would spin and the camera would pull in real tight and go out of focus. A cheap and easy segue to the next cartoon!

We had to use a lot of imagination, or we were just dumb as a box of rocks, but it was effective.

[CottonBear]

3. The Miss Marcia show in Chattanooga, TN n/t

[Unstuck In Time]

4. Wonderama

Was that broadcast outside of the NYC area? I loved Bob McAllister! :)

[Bertha Venation]

8. Yeah, we got it in Southern California.

I thought I was the only person on earth who remembers that show. :toast:

[newyawker99]

41. Wonderama was one of my faves too!

[XNASA]

5. Well Nosmo (love the name, BTW)

Here in Chicago, we had a bunch.

But Garfield Goose and Friends comes immediately to mind. It's where we got out first exposure to Clutch Cargo and The Funny Company. I think they also ran Herve's Adventures of Tin-Tin, which was really, really cool.

I loved the Tin-Tin cartoons. I still have an entire collection of Tin-Tin comics. Must be worth a mint.

[tech3149]

6. It's a good thing Shannon never got a copywrite

on Nosmo King you thief! That one always cracked me up.

[Bertha Venation]

7. Hobo Kelly and Wonderama! Anyone remember those two shows?

We also got Kimba the White Lion. My name's Kim and my hair was white when I was little, so I took a lot of crap but I didn't care because I LOVED Kimba. Still do.

Wonderama! song that I remember: "Does Anybody Here Have an Aardvark?"

[DBoon]

13. Yes

esp Hobo Kelley, though at the time I considered it a "little kids" show

[Bertha Venation]

14. heh... I WAS a little kid at the time.

LOVED her. :D

[DBoon]

23. I was about 10 or so...

Thought I was too old for it. Preferred the sophisticated humor of "Shrimpenstein"

[Robroy]

9. What time is it boys and girls

It's Howdy Doody time! With Buffalo Bob and his wonderful cast from yesteryear.

[demodonkey]

10. Hey Nosmo - Burgher here -never figured out what your name meant until...

I lived in NYC in the 80s and there was a restaurant in Tribeca called "Nosmo King" and it was one of the first ALL NON-SMOKING restaurants, LOL!

Guess I am a "dumb Picksburgher" but up 'til then I guess I always thought Nosmo King was just a "beatnik" microphone (Ha ha).

I was on Paul Shannon once, with the Browines, but sadly I never made "Ricky and Copper". I always wanted to get one of those birthday cupcakes!

[Nosmo King]

12. Wow! You were on Paul Shannon's Adventure Time!?!

I sent him a letter to Santa once and got my name read on the air! I always loved when he would holler at Nosmo! "Get away from that rope, Nosmo!" All the kids would shout, but Nosmo always tugged on that rope and, viola! The cartoon would start!

Paul always led kids to believe that the Stooges were close, personal friends of his, too! name dropper

[demodonkey]

26. Yes I was indeed on Paul Shannon but just as part of a group with...

My Brownie troop...

I didn't get picked to actually talk to Paul (and Nosmo). He picked two girls whose last names were "Kennedy" and "Nixon".

Amazing, the Brownies back then were actually aware enough to know why he picked them and not any of the rest of us, LOL.

[Metatron]

11. On Sunday mornings the only kids' show in Indy

was Timothy Churchmouse. It was absolutely horrible puppetry with a lame religious bent to it. It was actually quite disturbing.

[Phillycat]

16. Holly Hobby! Anyone else?

[Tom Kitten]

17. hooray! hurrah!

It's (Paul) Winchell Mahoney Time! I used to love that show with Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smith...

Of course growing up in my preteen years near LA there were lots of local kid shows, like Sheriff John, Chuck Jones the Magic Man (he did magic tricks and showed mainly Warner Brothers cartoons), Billy Barty( I remember once he had the Three Stooges make an apperarance on his show) , Beachcomber Bill (he showed 3 just cartoons...Wally Gator, Lippy the Lion and Hardee Har Har, and Touche Turtle), Engineer Bill (?), who was in charge of "Nine Island" (The show was on KHJ Channel 9) and showed cool cartoons like Astroyboy and Colonel Bleep...Plus there was a pancake Man whose show was hosted by IHOP...
Of course I was way too old by this point to do nothing but make fun of "Romper Room"!

I moved to Portland and all we had here was The Rusty Nails Show and later, Ramblin' Rod.

An old girlfriend once was on his show when she was a little girl, several years later she was a waitress and waited on him once. She said he kept on checking out her ass! :)

[LostInAmerica]

18. OMG! The memories!

I grew up in the same market. I had completely forgotten Paul Shannon. He was on right after school, right? I loved Kimba! I can still quote the lyrics to the theme song:

Who's the king of animals in Africa?
Who's the one who brought the jungle fame?
Who's the king of animals in Africa?
Kimba the White Lion is his name.

I hope that gets stuck in your head, Nosmo.

Hey, wait, Nosmo was one of the characters on Adventure Time, wasn't he? Correct me if I'm wrong.

I lived for Chiller Theater. I used to struggle to stay up late and watch both flicks. To this day, I still remember some of the movies.

Do you remember the night Chilly Billy had his massive coronary onscreen? I missed that one, but I remember he was gone for a while after that. Do you remember how he used to tell these creepy stories with the lighting on his face like a kid holding a flashlight to his face in the dark?

Man, you really tickled my nostalgia bone. What part of the Pittsburgh market did you grow up in?

[Nosmo King]

19. When Chilly Billy came back...

they gave him a big pan of pizza with his name spelled out in pepperoni! The man had a heart attack and they celebrate his return with extra cheese! Oy! I grew up just down the river from Pittsburgh in East Liverpool.

And yes, Nosmo King WAS a character on Paul Shannon's Adventure Time. Nosmo was actually Paul in a trench coat and Groucho glasses. He was a scamp who would always find a way to 'upset' the show.

[LostInAmerica]

21. You're killing me

I didn't grow up in Pittsburgh, but we got channel 4 in Altoona. They still do, in fact.

Went to Pitt, though.

I wish I'd seen the pizza thing. I remember Chilly Billy being very thin when he returned. Is he still alive?

[Nosmo King]

22. Yes!

He hosts the Jerry Lewis Telethon on Labor Day weekend, but I think that's about it for his broadcast career.

I think he also hosted Studio Wrestling! Bruno Samartino, George the Animal and Batman!

[LostInAmerica]

24. The rush of memories!

Batman. Bruno. George "The Animal" Steel. I used to watch that crap every damn Saturday night. Talk about cheesy!

You rawk, Nosmo. What else do you remember?

If I may ask, how old are you?

[Nosmo King]

28. Aw jeez...

I remember Nick Perry and Bowling for Dollars! then he rigged the daily number PA lottery drawing and did time...

I remember not too long ago when Don Canon (channel 4 anchorman) was drunk as about seven skunks on the air...

I remember going downtown (or as we say in the 'Burgh, dahn tahn) at Christmas time to see Kaufann's Horne's and Gimbel's windows. Jack Bogut used to broadcast his KDKA radio morning show from one of the windows and hawk 'farkleberry' muffins for Children's Hospital...

I remember when the call letters for channel 11 were WIIC...

I'm pretty old! ELHS class of '75.

[LostInAmerica]

36. Bowling for Dollars was so chintzy

I remember you got a dollar per pin. Knock down 6, get 6 bucks. Whoohoo!

Nick Perry (another name I've haven't heard in 20 years) always bugged me for some reason. I remember actually enjoying seeing him get in trouble.

You're four years older than I am.

[Nosmo King]

37. Do you remember or, in Norwegian Husker Du...

the trolley system in the 'Burgh?

Forbes Field

The Sunday funnies in the Pittsburgh Press ("Dondi" was on page one above the fold)

When the Fort Duquesne bridge went nowhere?

[LostInAmerica]

38. Dondi!

OMG, what a work of art, huh? And above the fold? How sad.

Not living in the 'Burgh 'til 1980, and being a student spending most of his time on campus, the trolley stuff and Ft. Duquesne bridge are pretty alien to me. But I remember Forbes Field. (Did you know that the original "Angels in the Outfield" was filmed at Forbes? You can see the Cathedral of Learning sticking out above the field throughout the movie.) The part of the wall where Mazeroski's homer went over in '60 is still there, and the home plate is under glass in David Lawrence Hall.

Ever go to the Syria Mosque or the Stanley Theatre? Man, I LOVED those places.

[Nosmo King]

39. I saw my first rock concert at the Syria Mosque!

1973 Elton John dressed in a denim work shirt and jeans. Black grand piano and he played "Madman across the Water" and "Daniel"!

The Stanley Theater is still there in the guise of the Byham Theater.

The Decade in Oakland, though...that was the place to be!

[LostInAmerica]

40. Elton John at the Syria Mosque!?!?!?!?

In 1973?

OMFG, I'm about 1000 shades green with envy. That is beyond cool. Who else did you see there?

I loved the Stanley. Saw the Clash there. Oh, yes.

[Nosmo King]

44. The Clash and Elvis Costello...

on succeeding nights back in 1982! I remember coming out of the Stanley the night The Clash played there and the road company for "Annie" was performing at Heinz Hall.

The were families and Clash fans all over Liberty Avenue that night. My buddy commented (a little too loudly in front of a Mom and Dad and their two little girls) "I heard the dog sat on the stage and licked his balls!"

The opening act for the Clash was booed off the stage. I can't remember if The Clash played the first night and Elvis was the second, or what. But it was a glorious time for Pittsburgh concert goers.

[LostInAmerica]

45. I was at that Clash concert!

The opening act was an a capella group, totally inappropriate for a Clash concert. They were the only act I've ever seen get booed off a stage.

My college roommate and I attended the concert, and we got there really early. It seems really odd now, but they must've opened the doors long before the show started. Well, we were pretty drunk, so we actually took a nap before the opening act came out. Didn't see the Elvis show the next night, though.

I remember in 1978 driving through the 'Burgh with my parents and going past the Stanley. The marquee announced that Springsteen was playing the following two nights. I would've KILLED to have been in Pittsburgh for those shows.

[Nosmo King]

46. Yeah! the opening act wore funky pink tuxedos and had a pretty cool sound

but not for a Clash crowd!

I saw Springsteen in Columbus in 1975 on his "Born to Run" tour. He was at the Ohio Theater (about the same size and layout of the Stanley) He burned the place down!

I saw Stephen Stills as a solo act at the Stanley in 1980. HE was so drunk or whatever that he fell off his stool in the middle of "Long may you Run" ( a Stills-Young Band tune.)

I would imagine that if you tallyed up all the drunks and heads that ever sat in or performed in the Stanley, it would be equla to the population of Portugal!

[LostInAmerica]

47. Saw the Kinks at the Stanley

They were so loud that I didn't even bother going to class the next day. I knew I wouldn't be able to hear the professors speaking. That's just too damn loud.

I saw John Mellencamp -- when he still had "Cougar" in the middle of his name -- at the Stanley, too. It was the coolest show. The entire stage was white. All the amps and the like were hidden, so the stage was bare except for people and instruments. He said he hated encores, so he took a short break and came out and did a few more songs.

Saw The Tubes there, too. One of the worst shows I've ever seen.

Man, the Stanley rocked.

And who can forget the Decade? I remember that on Thursdays you could get 3 beers or 2 kamikazes for a buck. Take 5 bucks, leave loaded. Can you believe U2 actually played there? I didn't go (not a fan), but when you look at them now... Lots of big names played there before they were famous: The Police, Cyndi Lauper. What a killer place.

[demodonkey]

29. Yikes, senility is setting in! Nosmo WAS the groucho guy and the mic...

was... Mr. Boom Man?? (something like that - help!)

Guess I am still too sad about not having the "right" last name and not getting picked to talk to Paul on camera... Or I am just getting old and forgetful.... ha ha.


<<And yes, Nosmo King WAS a character on Paul Shannon's Adventure Time. Nosmo was actually Paul in a trench coat and Groucho glasses. He was a scamp who would always find a way to 'upset' the show.>>

[Nosmo King]

30. awww...

Did you have one of those unpronounceable Slovak last names? Something that looks like an eye chart with five consonants before a vowel!

Even though Paul was from the 'Burgh, he couldn't handle those tricky eastern European names! Go figure!

[demodonkey]

31. Not Slovak,

Slovene! ;-)

No, it wasn't really anti-slavic reasons that Paul didn't pick me... he never asked anybody else's name after he heard that our little scout troop actually had those two girls (good friends, too) with last names "Kennedy" and "Nixon" ... Paul thought that was cute, so they got picked to be on camera. The rest of us got to sit on the bleachers and yell the countdown, etc.

You are right, Paul sure did make you think that the Three Stooges were like best friends of his.... hey, do you think we were all corrupted by watching that (Gasp! Horrors!) "violent" slapstick stuff???
;-)

[Richardo]

25. Bertha and other SoCals: Who remembers 'Fright Night' with "Seymour"

Seeeeeeeeeeeeeymour



The guy was hilarious - sort of a prototype for MST3K, except he did his mocking at the breaks ("Here's a little scene...")

[Bertha Venation]

27. veeeeerrry vaguely -- but I certainly remember KHJ-TV 9.

A blast from the past. Great find, Richardo!

[DBoon]

32. YES!

We had him give an appearance at my high school in the early 1970's. Definitely a cult figure.

[Tikki]

33. Local shows....

Uncle Jimmy's Clubhouse was the local afternoon kiddies show (late 50's into 60's).... out of Yakima, I believe.

When we moved to So. California we watched The Lloyd Thaxton Show....dance party and entertainment....(I believe this show, eventually, went syndicated.)

New Wave Theatre...the late Peter Iver's homage to the emerging Punk Rock music scene.


The Tikkis

[Lydia Leftcoast]

34. "And I'm Lloyd Thaxton!" "So what!"

Yup, it went national. :-)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

35. In Minneapolis/St. Paul:

"Axel and His Dog"--Axel had a Hitler moustache and wore a beanie, and his "dog" and "cat" were arms clad in long gloves that would grab him by the shoulder. Really cheesy.

"T.N. Tatters"--a hobo clown, later replaced by J.P. Patches, another clown

"Casey Jones and Roundhouse Rodney"--Casey Jones read off kids' birthdays and sang a song that went
"Happy happy birthday
To every girl and boy
Hope this very special joy
Brings you lots of joy.
Hope the birthday presents
You get from Mom and Dad
Will make this very special day the best you ever had"

Clancy the Cop--wore a Keystone cops type outfit

The Corner Drugstore--the first cheapo local version of American Bandstand. Teenagers danced to records while drinking from bottles of Pepsi Cola (the sponsor).

It's later incarnation (during my own teen years) was "Date with Dino." Several of my classmates were on it until the school stopped giving excused absences for appearing on the show.

[Bluzmann57]

42. Here in the Quad-Cities of Iowa and Illinois

we had Captain Ernie, aboard the "Dixie Belle", which was, of course, just a prop, and a fairly cheap one at that. When I was about 10 or 11, our Cub Scout Pack went on the show. I was the spokeskid, as I was the oldest, and I think I did ok in introducing the other boys in our pack. Captain Ernie was a guy named Ernie Mims, who is still working part time for the station today. In addition to our TV appearance, we got a bag of Hiland Potato chips, as well as the chance to tour said potato chip plant. We also got a Hostess Twinkie or something like that. And, of course, we got to tour the studios of the then WOC TV, now KWQC, still channel 6 and they still have a locally produced program, although it's for adults and it sucks. But I would not trade that boyhood memory for anything in the world. It was fun and memorable.

[KarmaHappens]

43. Wallace and Ladmo

Phoenix, AZ

[ironflange]

48. Here in Calgary it was the Buck Shot Show

It was a lunch time show, must have run for close to 30 years. The host was a cowboy-type guy, Buck Shot, who talked to an assortment of puppets: Benny the Bear (his official sidekick), Clyde the Owl, Heathcliff the Dragoon, that's all I remember.

He based his schtick a lot on Soupy Sales, like talking to visitors at the door who only have a hand visible, pies in the face, etc. Lots of guests, like policemen, pet people, school classes, that sort of stuff. My son's kindergarten class was on the show, and the teacher was "easy on the eyes," so the camera spent more time on her than on the class. I have it on tape.

The show was really very entertaining, and he regularly threw in things that only Mom or Dad would get. There were cartoons, of course, but offbeat stuff. He was fond of Heckle and Jekyll. The Birthday Book. Also animated safety shorts. The aforementioned tape has a traffic safety spot from 1958!

It was a great show.

I wanted to post a pic, but couldn't find one. I thought the Internet had everything.