Captain Jack McCarthy (NYC TV)
Brad Ferguson
Kidvid host and station announcer Jack McCarthy, who as Captain Jack
showed Popeye cartoons for many years on New York City's WPIX-TV, died
5/23 in Florida. He was in his eighties.
McCarthy also set a Guinness record for hosting WPIX's annual telecast of
New York's St Paddy's Day Parade some 43 times (if memory serves). He
quit in the late 1980s, outraged by his treatment at the hands of newly
installed station management, and moved to Florida.
Jack would always end his Popeye show with a salute and a hearty "smooth
sailin'!"
Smooth sailin', Jack.
--
Stop by and set a spell at http://www.fred.net/thirteen/
Irene J. Sorokolit
Brad Ferguson (thir...@fred.net) wrote:
: Kidvid host and station announcer Jack McCarthy, who as Captain Jack
: showed Popeye cartoons for many years on New York City's WPIX-TV, died
: 5/23 in Florida. He was in his eighties.
[snip]
Oh no! First Sandy Becker and now Captain Jack. Does anyone know if
Officer Joe is still around? I seem to remember one afternoon when he
told the story of Shemp's passing (I think Shemp was riding in a taxi and
had a stroke, please correct me if I'm wrong) and it made quite an
impression on my sister and myself.
Irene
i...@crl.com
Brad Ferguson
Gads, it's a bad day for you, Irene. Officer Joe Bolton died in the late
1980s. He'd retired to San Diego. His daughter -- I forget her name --
used to (and perhaps still does) run fundraising for Channel 13. When I
was in New York, I never heard Channel 13 mention the daughter's link to
Officer Joe. If they had, the money would have poured in.
It's sad to realize that not one known scrap of film, kinescope or
videotape of Officer Joe (in character) exists. There may be an ad agency
out there with some footage of him -- the kidvid hosts frequently hawked
their stations to the agencies and the toy companies -- but, if so, none
has surfaced in the years since his death. When Channel 11 did a 40th
anniversary special in the 1980s, an exhaustive search turned up nothing.
The Shemp story is true enough. He and some friends were in a car heading
for a poker game (Shemp loved playing for money) when everyon smelled
something burning. Shemp had just died, and the cigar he'd been smoking
had fallen down his front. His coat was smouldering.
Uncle Fred Scott is the only host I can think of right now who's still
with us. Sad.
Kathy O'Connell
Officer Joe Bolton passed away a few years ago.
Soupy Sales is still with us.
So is Chuck McCann.
Howard Noble
>Oh no! First Sandy Becker and now Captain Jack. Does anyone know if
>Officer Joe is still around? I seem to remember one afternoon when he
>told the story of Shemp's passing (I think Shemp was riding in a taxi and
>had a stroke, please correct me if I'm wrong) and it made quite an
>impression on my sister and myself.
Joe Bolton died about seven or eight years ago. If I am not mistaken,
he was a real police officer in New Jersey. Somewhere in the
Palisades area, maybe? I remember Officer Joe always had Moe Howard
on the show whenever he was in the NYC area. You are correct about
Shemp. He died in 1955. It is hard to believe that it has been
thirty-five or more years since I watched Sandy Becker and Officer Joe
Bolton every afternoon. I feel so OLD. I hope that Sonny Fox and
Soupy Sales are both in good health.
Howard
John M. Vogel
Irene J. Sorokolit (i...@crl.com) wrote:
: Oh no! First Sandy Becker and now Captain Jack. Does anyone know if
: Officer Joe is still around? I seem to remember one afternoon when he
: told the story of Shemp's passing (I think Shemp was riding in a taxi and
: had a stroke, please correct me if I'm wrong) and it made quite an
: impression on my sister and myself.
Just out if curiousity, does this "Captain Jack" have any connection to the
Billy Joel song?
John
jvo...@crl.com
Highflag
(Howard Noble) writes:
> I hope that Sonny Fox and
>Soupy Sales are both in good health.
>
>Howard
No info on Sonny Fox, but, believe it or not, Soupy Sales did a
stand-up gig last week-end at The Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas...
HF
I went on a diet, swore off drinking and heavy eating, and in fourteen
days I lost two weeks.
Joe E. Lewis
Brad Ferguson
Kathy O'Connell points out that Chuck McCann is still with us. I'd
somehow forgotten to include him in my mental list. Stupid of me.
Thanks, Kathy.
She also lists Soupy Sales, who is of course still here, but he was more
of a national figure; his show was seen in a handful of cities, and he'd
even been on the ABC network (LUNCH WITH SOUPY) before he ever got to New
York. I guess I don't count the Soup as strictly a local host, much as I
loved his show. I thought I heard that his puppeteer in the New York
days, Frank Nastasi, passed away several years ago, but I'd love to be
proven wrong. Chuck McCann's puppeteer, Paul Ashley, died sometime during
the 1970s.
Kathy O'Connell
Hi Brad...
As of a few months ago, Frank Nastasi was still alive. He was in the
audience at the kid show hosts of the 60's retrospective at the Museum of
TV & Radio in New York. Blew kisses to the audience, etc.
Frank was also featured in A&E's "Biography" of Soupy Sales, which is
quite good.
For me, Soupy was a local figure. I spent the better part of my teenage
years hanging out in front of his studio (Channel 5 on East 67 Street).
Saw many of the shows, got to know Soupy, Frank, and the crew. There
were about 100 of us kids who were "regulars" at WNEW-TV. And I know
several of us wound up in media...probably because of our mis-spent youth
with Soupy.
Kathy O'Connell
(one-time President of the Frank Nastasi Fan Club)
Brad Ferguson (thir...@fred.net) wrote:
: Kathy O'Connell points out that Chuck McCann is still with us. I'd
Brad Ferguson
In article <4oh32u$d...@dfw-ixnews4.ix.netcom.com>, zufr...@ix.netcom.com
(Howard Noble) wrote:
> >Oh no! First Sandy Becker and now Captain Jack. Does anyone know if
> >Officer Joe is still around? I seem to remember one afternoon when he
> >told the story of Shemp's passing (I think Shemp was riding in a taxi and
> >had a stroke, please correct me if I'm wrong) and it made quite an
> >impression on my sister and myself.
>
> Joe Bolton died about seven or eight years ago. If I am not mistaken,
> he was a real police officer in New Jersey. Somewhere in the
> Palisades area, maybe? I remember Officer Joe always had Moe Howard
> on the show whenever he was in the NYC area. You are correct about
> Shemp. He died in 1955. It is hard to believe that it has been
> thirty-five or more years since I watched Sandy Becker and Officer Joe
> Bolton every afternoon. I feel so OLD. I hope that Sonny Fox and
> Soupy Sales are both in good health.
>
> Howard
Joe Bolton was a long-time station announcer for WPIX radio and
television, but I don't blame you for thinking he was really a cop. He
was certainly everything a cop should be (and the NYPD did make him an
honorary cop, while the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association made him an
actual member).
Moe, who managed the act, was always grateful to Joe and the other local
Stooges hosts around the country for reviving the Stooges. He would give
them bit parts in the films the Stooges made circa 1960. Officer Joe can
be seen in a very brief scene in the Stooges compilation film STOP, LOOK
AND LAUGH (the only bit of film I know of with Officer Joe in character;
there is nothing at WPIX itself), and several of the local hosts
(including Joe) play bumbling gang members in THE OUTLAWS IS COMING.
I think everybody loved Joe Bolton. I surely did.
Brad Ferguson
> I hope that Sonny Fox and
> Soupy Sales are both in good health.
They're both fine.
Brad Ferguson
In article <4ohsmi$q...@crl12.crl.com>, jvo...@crl.com (John M. Vogel) wrote:
: Irene J. Sorokolit (i...@crl.com) wrote:
:
: : Oh no! First Sandy Becker and now Captain Jack. Does anyone know if
: : Officer Joe is still around? I seem to remember one afternoon when he
: : told the story of Shemp's passing (I think Shemp was riding in a taxi and
: : had a stroke, please correct me if I'm wrong) and it made quite an
: : impression on my sister and myself.
:
: Just out if curiousity, does this "Captain Jack" have any connection to the
: Billy Joel song?
:
: John
: jvo...@crl.com
I don't know the song, but Billy's my age and from the right part of the
country; it well might.
Brad Ferguson
In article <4oiq0g$q...@netnews.upenn.edu>, ocon...@pobox.upenn.edu (Kathy
O'Connell) wrote:
> As of a few months ago, Frank Nastasi was still alive. He was in the
> audience at the kid show hosts of the 60's retrospective at the Museum of
> TV & Radio in New York. Blew kisses to the audience, etc.
Like I said, I'm happy to be proved wrong! I consider Frank Nastasi one
of the all-time great improvisationalists. Personally speaking, THE SOUPY
SALES SHOW (and Sandy Becker's show) taught me a lot about what "funny"
was. Buffalo Bob or Bozo the Clown never did that for me.
> Frank was also featured in A&E's "Biography" of Soupy Sales, which is
> quite good.
Wasn't it? BTW, one or the other pay-TV services is currently running the
movie Soupy was plugging at the end, the one that casts Soupy as Moses.
Lemme look. Ah. Cinemax has it. The film's called AND GOD SPOKE (THE
MAKING OF...) TV Guide gives it two stars and says it's an R-rated (for
language) mock documentary about the filming of a low-budget adaptation of
the Bible. (Well, with Soupy as Moses, I guess it must have been.)
> For me, Soupy was a local figure. I spent the better part of my teenage
> years hanging out in front of his studio (Channel 5 on East 67 Street).
> Saw many of the shows, got to know Soupy, Frank, and the crew. There
> were about 100 of us kids who were "regulars" at WNEW-TV. And I know
> several of us wound up in media...probably because of our mis-spent youth
> with Soupy.
I used to go down to 67th, too, and I'd frequently see Chuck McCann come
through the loading bay doors and out onto the street at 3:30 or 4:00,
whenever his show was over. (I should explain to younger people that,
like most everything else in those days, Chuck's show was live.) Time
permitting, Chuck would end his show with a chase that went out of the
studio, through Channel 5's shipping department, and out onto 67th
Street. The show over, he'd wave to us and disappear back inside the
building as quickly as he could.
Came the frabjous day when we got tickets to see Chuck's show actually
done. (All Saints' Day, November 1, 1965. Yeah, I went to Catholic
school.) My kid sister got interviewed, and we met Miss Louise from
ROMPER ROOM as well as the immortal Sonny Fox. The most surprising thing
to me about Chuck's show was that all of Paul Ashley's puppets were blue
-- their hair was bright blue, their faces were a lighter blue, and their
clothing was all shades of blue. The shades of blue looked better on b&w
television. The Sinbad the Sailor cartoons Chuck used to show were
telecast in color, bvut the studio monitors were b&w. Darn.
BTW, I interviewed Soupy Sales while I was in college. That must have
been 1974. I was editor of the paper, and Soupy was starting a college
tour. There were four or five of us from different papers, but I'm afraid
I monopolized the thing because I knew an awful lot about Soupy -- you
soaked stuff up like a sponge if you watched his show long enough -- and I
guess we hit it off. He was awfully nice to me, and he didn't have to
be. That sums up Soupy.
joseph...@gmail.com
santane...@gmail.com
43 times is about right. After his 40th, I think PIX was done with him, which was TOO BAD. IF I remember correctly, he did the 41st, skipped the 42 & did the 43? At any rate, the last one was quite disappointing (to him & us) & he left with an "I'm out of here!" his last words on the Parade. Unfortunate.
But those of us that knew him in his prime, no that there will never be another like him!
On Saturday, May 25, 1996 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Brad Ferguson wrote:
> Kidvid host and station announcer Jack McCarthy, who as Captain Jack
> showed Popeye cartoons for many years on New York City's WPIX-TV, died
> 5/23 in Florida. He was in his eighties.
>
> New York's St Paddy's Day Parade some 43 times (if memory serves). He
> quit in the late 1980s, outraged by his treatment at the hands of newly
> installed station management, and moved to Florida.
>
> Jack would always end his Popeye show with a salute and a hearty "smooth
> sailin'!"
>
> Smooth sailin', Jack.
>