tv star collector
08-01-2008, 02:29 PM
The '50s Icons
Three icons from the 1950's stand out in my memory: a wooden puppet, a blond bombshell, and a
hip-swiveling young singer.
Some people (including my half-sister) have said that "Marilyn Monroe couldn't act her way out of a
paper bag." But, what she may have lacked in talent, she made up for with her screen presence ...
charisma, if you will ... or just plain sex appeal (which she had in spades). When she was in light
comedic roles ("Some Like It Hot," "The Seven Year Itch," "How to Marry a Millionaire," "Bus
Stop"), she was in her element. But, if you study her last dramatic roles, her acting was getting
better toward the end. Unfortunately, like Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, I think Marilyn was a
victim of her own success. Some people can handle fame; others can't. Her death, on Aug. 5,
1962 was then ruled officially a suicide (although now we're not sure).
The Howdy Doody Show, which premiered on NBC on Dec. 27, 1947, introduced the first TV super-
star most of our generation ever knew. There were many "firsts" for Howdy: the first TV comic
book (in fact, the first TV merchandising of any show, in any form), the first national TV show to
receive the Peabody Award, the first split screen broadcast (Chicago and New York, on June 23,
1949), the first live broadcast of a solar eclipse (Mar. 4, 1951), the first program to reach 1,000
performances (Jan. 27, 1952), the first regularly broadcast color TV show (June 26, 1953), the
first show filmed on 35 mm. rather than 16 mm (1954), the first TV show to broadcast every day
in color (Sept. 12, 1955), the first show to reach 2,000 performances (Dec. 20, 1955), and the
first show to have a giant mail response (12 million letters by Dec. 31, 1955). [To give you an
idea of the show's popularity, Buffalo Bob Smith was fond of telling the true story that some
pregnant mothers would write in for tickets to the "Peanut Gallery" for their unborn children!
Even former president Herbert Hoover's grandson didn't have an easy time getting a ticket!]
One of the most unforgettable moments in television history occurred on the final telecast
(Sept. 24, 1960), when Clarabell the Clown (Lew Anderson) spoke for the first time (saying
right into the camera, "Goodbye, kids!").
Much has been written about a young man from Tupelo, Mississippi, who changed the voice
of popular music: Elvis Aron Presley. Either you're a fan or a critic. There's no middle ground.
Personally, I think Elvis had a great voice and, certainly, a lot of charm and charisma on stage.
But, Presley was as much a crooner as a rocker (e.g., "Love Me Tender," "Loving You," "I
Want You, I Need You, I Love You," "Can't Help Falling in Love," etc.). Country music, gospel,
Las Vegas show tunes, he did it all.
Had he been given some better movie roles, he might have become an accomplished actor, too.
If his mother had lived (she died while he was serving a hitch in the Army), his personal life might
not have become such a mess (the overeating, the reliance on prescription drugs, and the
frantic pace that finally took its toll). He died, of an apparent heart attack on Aug. 16, 1977, at
only 42 ... much, much too soon. Adios, Elvis. We sure miss you.
The Movies
If Laurel & Hardy were the kings of comedy in the thirties; and Abbott & Costello, in the forties;
then you have to give the title to Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis in the fifties. Dino Crocetti, an
Italian crooner; and Jerry Lewis, a Jewish comedian, seemed like an unlikely duo. But when
they first got together, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1946, a show biz legend was born.
One of the most influential Westerns of the fifties was "High Noon" (1952), starring Gary Cooper
and Grace Kelly.
More Cartoon Stars
By the fifties, most movie studios were closing down their shorts departments because they were
simply no longer profitable. Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera (after having won seven Oscars for their
Tom & Jerry cartoons) were fired by M-G-M ... and, subsequently, struck out on their own and
began making cartoons for television.
Walt Disney continued releasing successful animated feature films: "Cinderella" (1950), "Alice
in Wonderland" (1951), "Peter Pan" (1953), "Lady and the Tramp" (1955; my personal favorite),
and "Sleeping Beauty" (1959).
But Hanna-Barbera's Ruff & Reddy (and later the popular Huckleberry Hound, which won an
Emmy Award) proved that, for most future cartoon stars, the small screen would be their new home.
Television: The Advent of the Adult Western
In 1955, television began to create new western characters, and before long, westerns were no
longer primarily aimed at children and only telecast during the daytime hours. The TV western's
objective was clear: to attract more grownups in the audience.
The new westerns were not all gunplay. As early as the mid-'50s, messages about brotherhood
and nonviolence were creeping into the sagebrush epics (to the dismay of purists like Gene Autry
who once remarked, "Television westerns drive me nuts. Too slow.") A TV Guide cartoon summed
it up: One little boy in cowboy garb says to his small pal, "Let's play adult western. I'll be the good
guy, and you be the guy with a problem."
Two adult Westerns, in particular, were very successful. The first of these was Gunsmoke,
which began what would be an incredible 20-year run on CBS, on Sept. 10, 1955. What many
people may not know is that John Wayne turned down the role of Marshall Matt Dillon of Dodge
City. He suggested James Arness for the part. The rest is television history.
The Cartwrights of the Ponderosa
Bonanza came along in 1959. The rest is history. For 13 years, the wealthy Cartwrights of the
Ponderosa rode into the living rooms of countless millions of people around the world. For years,
it was the most popular show on television; and its stars--Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker and Michael
Landon--became millionaires. Each man received a salary which averaged $40,000 per show (a
large sum in those days). Pernell Roberts quit in 1965; that decision cost him a fortune. Bonanza
was one of the first westerns to film in color, and its glorious outdoor scenes attracted many
viewers. The stories were consistently well-written, containing wholesome drama instead of a lot of
gunplay. There also was an element of humor from time to time (as in arguably the best comedic
episode, "Ponderosa Matador," in which Hoss tries to teach Little Joe to be a bullfighter to impress
a Mexican senorita, with hilarious results).
Dan Blocker, that huge and gentle man who in thirteen years as Hoss Cartwright became one of
the best-loved TV actors in the world, died on May 13, 1972. He was 43. There are 13 1/2 years
of Bonanza on film ... 431 episodes; representing 14 years of pioneering in the use of color and
location shooting, in an attempt to preserve an image of the disappearing American West. And,
as Dick Adler for TV Guide eloquently put it, "for 13 of those years there is the massive, vital
presence of a man named Dan Blocker--which is far more immortality than most of us can hope
for on this earth."
Saturday Morning TV in the '50s
Besides Howdy Doody, many other kiddie favorites first appeared during that decade. Among
the best-remembered (see how many ring a bell): Kukla, Fran & Ollie, Paul Winchell & Jerry
Mahoney, Time for Beany (created by Bob Clampett; later a popular animated cartoon), Rootie Kazootie, Shari Lewis, Jimmy Nelson, Bill & Cora Baird, Fred Rogers' The Children's
Corner, Gumby (created by Art Clokey and first introduced on The Howdy Doody
Show), The Pinky Lee Show, Ding Dong School, and Uncle Johnny Coons.
Local stations all had their own kiddie show hosts (who usually introduced old Popeye cartoons
and other early movie shorts). Bozo the Clown was a national favorite, played by different actors
in different cities. Larry Harmon voiced the character in some quickly-made 1960's cartoons and
bought the rights to the character, leading many to believe that he created it. But it was actually
Alan Livingston, for Capitol Records' children's line of recordings, who dreamed up Bozo.
Alex Anderson and Jay Ward created Crusader Rabbit (the first TV cartoon star), in 1949. It was
"limited animation" in the truest sense; but, nonetheless, it does qualify as the first made-for-TV
cartoon series. The only competition then were all theatrical shorts (Popeye, Bugs Bunny,
Mighty Mouse, Mr. Magoo, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Woody Woodpecker, etc.). Bill Hanna
and Joe Barbera changed all that with the successful NBC Saturday morning cartoon series,
Ruff & Reddy. Hosted by Jimmy Blaine, all the voices for the cartoons were provided by two men:
Daws Butler and Don Messick (two former radio veterans; Butler had also done voices for Walter
Lantz and others). Next came Huckleberry Hound(the first cartoon to win an Emmy) and Quick
Draw McGraw. Bill and Joe noticed an interesting phenomenon: many of the most ardent fans of
their cartoons were adults (as well as kids). Typically, a sign was posted in a San Francisco bar:
"No tinkling of glasses or noise during the Huckleberry Hound show." It was this response from
grownups that prompted Hanna and Barbera to create a cartoon especially for adults: The
Flintstones (1960), the first prime-time made-for-TV cartoon series, which ran for six years, a
record unbroken until Matt Groening's The Simpsons debuted in 1989
Popular Music Stars
Besides the King of Rock 'n' Roll, other notable performers included Brenda Lee, Ricky Nelson,
Pat Boone, Bill Haley & His Comets, the Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy
Holly, Fats Domino, Nat King Cole, the Platters, Frank Sinatra, Patti Page and Andy Williams.
In 1958, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash on that fateful
"day the music died."
Country Music Stars
In 1950, Maybelle Carter and her three daughters (Helen, June and Anita) joined the Grand Ole
Opry as The Carter Family. Hank Snow and Tennessee Ernie Ford made their Opry debuts.
******************
So, how do I sum up a decade of so many great acts -- in films, TV and music -- that are still
popular today? Well, the only word that I can think of is one that was neither invented by Bart
Simpson nor by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's a word that was created by Howdy
Doody scribe Edward Kean and was first uttered by Chief Thunderthud (Bill LeCornec):
"Cowabunga!"
Three icons from the 1950's stand out in my memory: a wooden puppet, a blond bombshell, and a
hip-swiveling young singer.
Some people (including my half-sister) have said that "Marilyn Monroe couldn't act her way out of a
paper bag." But, what she may have lacked in talent, she made up for with her screen presence ...
charisma, if you will ... or just plain sex appeal (which she had in spades). When she was in light
comedic roles ("Some Like It Hot," "The Seven Year Itch," "How to Marry a Millionaire," "Bus
Stop"), she was in her element. But, if you study her last dramatic roles, her acting was getting
better toward the end. Unfortunately, like Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, I think Marilyn was a
victim of her own success. Some people can handle fame; others can't. Her death, on Aug. 5,
1962 was then ruled officially a suicide (although now we're not sure).
The Howdy Doody Show, which premiered on NBC on Dec. 27, 1947, introduced the first TV super-
star most of our generation ever knew. There were many "firsts" for Howdy: the first TV comic
book (in fact, the first TV merchandising of any show, in any form), the first national TV show to
receive the Peabody Award, the first split screen broadcast (Chicago and New York, on June 23,
1949), the first live broadcast of a solar eclipse (Mar. 4, 1951), the first program to reach 1,000
performances (Jan. 27, 1952), the first regularly broadcast color TV show (June 26, 1953), the
first show filmed on 35 mm. rather than 16 mm (1954), the first TV show to broadcast every day
in color (Sept. 12, 1955), the first show to reach 2,000 performances (Dec. 20, 1955), and the
first show to have a giant mail response (12 million letters by Dec. 31, 1955). [To give you an
idea of the show's popularity, Buffalo Bob Smith was fond of telling the true story that some
pregnant mothers would write in for tickets to the "Peanut Gallery" for their unborn children!
Even former president Herbert Hoover's grandson didn't have an easy time getting a ticket!]
One of the most unforgettable moments in television history occurred on the final telecast
(Sept. 24, 1960), when Clarabell the Clown (Lew Anderson) spoke for the first time (saying
right into the camera, "Goodbye, kids!").
Much has been written about a young man from Tupelo, Mississippi, who changed the voice
of popular music: Elvis Aron Presley. Either you're a fan or a critic. There's no middle ground.
Personally, I think Elvis had a great voice and, certainly, a lot of charm and charisma on stage.
But, Presley was as much a crooner as a rocker (e.g., "Love Me Tender," "Loving You," "I
Want You, I Need You, I Love You," "Can't Help Falling in Love," etc.). Country music, gospel,
Las Vegas show tunes, he did it all.
Had he been given some better movie roles, he might have become an accomplished actor, too.
If his mother had lived (she died while he was serving a hitch in the Army), his personal life might
not have become such a mess (the overeating, the reliance on prescription drugs, and the
frantic pace that finally took its toll). He died, of an apparent heart attack on Aug. 16, 1977, at
only 42 ... much, much too soon. Adios, Elvis. We sure miss you.
The Movies
If Laurel & Hardy were the kings of comedy in the thirties; and Abbott & Costello, in the forties;
then you have to give the title to Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis in the fifties. Dino Crocetti, an
Italian crooner; and Jerry Lewis, a Jewish comedian, seemed like an unlikely duo. But when
they first got together, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1946, a show biz legend was born.
One of the most influential Westerns of the fifties was "High Noon" (1952), starring Gary Cooper
and Grace Kelly.
More Cartoon Stars
By the fifties, most movie studios were closing down their shorts departments because they were
simply no longer profitable. Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera (after having won seven Oscars for their
Tom & Jerry cartoons) were fired by M-G-M ... and, subsequently, struck out on their own and
began making cartoons for television.
Walt Disney continued releasing successful animated feature films: "Cinderella" (1950), "Alice
in Wonderland" (1951), "Peter Pan" (1953), "Lady and the Tramp" (1955; my personal favorite),
and "Sleeping Beauty" (1959).
But Hanna-Barbera's Ruff & Reddy (and later the popular Huckleberry Hound, which won an
Emmy Award) proved that, for most future cartoon stars, the small screen would be their new home.
Television: The Advent of the Adult Western
In 1955, television began to create new western characters, and before long, westerns were no
longer primarily aimed at children and only telecast during the daytime hours. The TV western's
objective was clear: to attract more grownups in the audience.
The new westerns were not all gunplay. As early as the mid-'50s, messages about brotherhood
and nonviolence were creeping into the sagebrush epics (to the dismay of purists like Gene Autry
who once remarked, "Television westerns drive me nuts. Too slow.") A TV Guide cartoon summed
it up: One little boy in cowboy garb says to his small pal, "Let's play adult western. I'll be the good
guy, and you be the guy with a problem."
Two adult Westerns, in particular, were very successful. The first of these was Gunsmoke,
which began what would be an incredible 20-year run on CBS, on Sept. 10, 1955. What many
people may not know is that John Wayne turned down the role of Marshall Matt Dillon of Dodge
City. He suggested James Arness for the part. The rest is television history.
The Cartwrights of the Ponderosa
Bonanza came along in 1959. The rest is history. For 13 years, the wealthy Cartwrights of the
Ponderosa rode into the living rooms of countless millions of people around the world. For years,
it was the most popular show on television; and its stars--Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker and Michael
Landon--became millionaires. Each man received a salary which averaged $40,000 per show (a
large sum in those days). Pernell Roberts quit in 1965; that decision cost him a fortune. Bonanza
was one of the first westerns to film in color, and its glorious outdoor scenes attracted many
viewers. The stories were consistently well-written, containing wholesome drama instead of a lot of
gunplay. There also was an element of humor from time to time (as in arguably the best comedic
episode, "Ponderosa Matador," in which Hoss tries to teach Little Joe to be a bullfighter to impress
a Mexican senorita, with hilarious results).
Dan Blocker, that huge and gentle man who in thirteen years as Hoss Cartwright became one of
the best-loved TV actors in the world, died on May 13, 1972. He was 43. There are 13 1/2 years
of Bonanza on film ... 431 episodes; representing 14 years of pioneering in the use of color and
location shooting, in an attempt to preserve an image of the disappearing American West. And,
as Dick Adler for TV Guide eloquently put it, "for 13 of those years there is the massive, vital
presence of a man named Dan Blocker--which is far more immortality than most of us can hope
for on this earth."
Saturday Morning TV in the '50s
Besides Howdy Doody, many other kiddie favorites first appeared during that decade. Among
the best-remembered (see how many ring a bell): Kukla, Fran & Ollie, Paul Winchell & Jerry
Mahoney, Time for Beany (created by Bob Clampett; later a popular animated cartoon), Rootie Kazootie, Shari Lewis, Jimmy Nelson, Bill & Cora Baird, Fred Rogers' The Children's
Corner, Gumby (created by Art Clokey and first introduced on The Howdy Doody
Show), The Pinky Lee Show, Ding Dong School, and Uncle Johnny Coons.
Local stations all had their own kiddie show hosts (who usually introduced old Popeye cartoons
and other early movie shorts). Bozo the Clown was a national favorite, played by different actors
in different cities. Larry Harmon voiced the character in some quickly-made 1960's cartoons and
bought the rights to the character, leading many to believe that he created it. But it was actually
Alan Livingston, for Capitol Records' children's line of recordings, who dreamed up Bozo.
Alex Anderson and Jay Ward created Crusader Rabbit (the first TV cartoon star), in 1949. It was
"limited animation" in the truest sense; but, nonetheless, it does qualify as the first made-for-TV
cartoon series. The only competition then were all theatrical shorts (Popeye, Bugs Bunny,
Mighty Mouse, Mr. Magoo, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Woody Woodpecker, etc.). Bill Hanna
and Joe Barbera changed all that with the successful NBC Saturday morning cartoon series,
Ruff & Reddy. Hosted by Jimmy Blaine, all the voices for the cartoons were provided by two men:
Daws Butler and Don Messick (two former radio veterans; Butler had also done voices for Walter
Lantz and others). Next came Huckleberry Hound(the first cartoon to win an Emmy) and Quick
Draw McGraw. Bill and Joe noticed an interesting phenomenon: many of the most ardent fans of
their cartoons were adults (as well as kids). Typically, a sign was posted in a San Francisco bar:
"No tinkling of glasses or noise during the Huckleberry Hound show." It was this response from
grownups that prompted Hanna and Barbera to create a cartoon especially for adults: The
Flintstones (1960), the first prime-time made-for-TV cartoon series, which ran for six years, a
record unbroken until Matt Groening's The Simpsons debuted in 1989
Popular Music Stars
Besides the King of Rock 'n' Roll, other notable performers included Brenda Lee, Ricky Nelson,
Pat Boone, Bill Haley & His Comets, the Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy
Holly, Fats Domino, Nat King Cole, the Platters, Frank Sinatra, Patti Page and Andy Williams.
In 1958, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash on that fateful
"day the music died."
Country Music Stars
In 1950, Maybelle Carter and her three daughters (Helen, June and Anita) joined the Grand Ole
Opry as The Carter Family. Hank Snow and Tennessee Ernie Ford made their Opry debuts.
******************
So, how do I sum up a decade of so many great acts -- in films, TV and music -- that are still
popular today? Well, the only word that I can think of is one that was neither invented by Bart
Simpson nor by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's a word that was created by Howdy
Doody scribe Edward Kean and was first uttered by Chief Thunderthud (Bill LeCornec):
"Cowabunga!"