tv star collector
11-21-2007, 07:46 PM
I used to love watching those telecasts with my mother back in the 1960s.
The programs were usually hosted by Lorne Greene and Betty White. Here's
a bit of trivia about this long-standing holiday tradition ...
Macy's first Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on Nov. 27, 1924. It was only
two blocks in length and featured a troupe of 35 clowns, zoo animals of all
kinds, and floats featuring Mother Goose characters.
The first four giant balloons appeared in the 1927 parade. Puppeteer Bil Baird
supervised the construction, at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant in Akron,
Ohio. One of the balloons was a 125-foot-long dragon that required 50
wranglers to operate. It was a sensation.
The first Mickey Mouse balloon debuted in 1934, and the first of three
Superman balloons made his debut appearance in 1940. Since then, other
giant balloon characters have included Spider-Man, Snoopy, Felix the Cat,
Howdy Doody, Popeye, Bullwinkle, Mighty Mouse, Linus the Lionhearted,
Underdog, the Honey Nut Bee, Kermit the Frog, Yogi Bear, the Pink Panther,
Garfield, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Bart Simpson, Woody Woodpecker, Bugs
Bunny, The Cat in the Hat, and Arthur.
Macy's got a big boost of publicity thanks to the 1947 film "Miracle on 34th
Street," which not only featured footage of Macy's parade but also used Macy's employees to play more than half of the characters in the movie.
Oddly enough, the motion picture was released not at Thanksgiving but
during the summer. Edmund Gwenn ("Kris Kringle") won an Oscar as Best
Supporting Actor. The classic also starred John Payne, Maureen O'Hara and
a very young Natalie Wood.
Another famous attraction of the Macy's parades is the famed Rockettes.
To be a rockette, a woman "must be at least 18 years old, proficient in
ballet, tap and jazz, able to kick the clouds from the sky and willing to wear
a smile from dawn to dusk."
From 1962 to 1972, hosts Lorne Greene and Betty White were to Macy's
what Bob Hope was to the Oscars ceremonies.
The programs were usually hosted by Lorne Greene and Betty White. Here's
a bit of trivia about this long-standing holiday tradition ...
Macy's first Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on Nov. 27, 1924. It was only
two blocks in length and featured a troupe of 35 clowns, zoo animals of all
kinds, and floats featuring Mother Goose characters.
The first four giant balloons appeared in the 1927 parade. Puppeteer Bil Baird
supervised the construction, at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant in Akron,
Ohio. One of the balloons was a 125-foot-long dragon that required 50
wranglers to operate. It was a sensation.
The first Mickey Mouse balloon debuted in 1934, and the first of three
Superman balloons made his debut appearance in 1940. Since then, other
giant balloon characters have included Spider-Man, Snoopy, Felix the Cat,
Howdy Doody, Popeye, Bullwinkle, Mighty Mouse, Linus the Lionhearted,
Underdog, the Honey Nut Bee, Kermit the Frog, Yogi Bear, the Pink Panther,
Garfield, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Bart Simpson, Woody Woodpecker, Bugs
Bunny, The Cat in the Hat, and Arthur.
Macy's got a big boost of publicity thanks to the 1947 film "Miracle on 34th
Street," which not only featured footage of Macy's parade but also used Macy's employees to play more than half of the characters in the movie.
Oddly enough, the motion picture was released not at Thanksgiving but
during the summer. Edmund Gwenn ("Kris Kringle") won an Oscar as Best
Supporting Actor. The classic also starred John Payne, Maureen O'Hara and
a very young Natalie Wood.
Another famous attraction of the Macy's parades is the famed Rockettes.
To be a rockette, a woman "must be at least 18 years old, proficient in
ballet, tap and jazz, able to kick the clouds from the sky and willing to wear
a smile from dawn to dusk."
From 1962 to 1972, hosts Lorne Greene and Betty White were to Macy's
what Bob Hope was to the Oscars ceremonies.