Howdy Doody Cast Members?
Doug Peterson
of the "Howdy Doody Show," I have been trying, without much success,
to learn who -- among its human cast -- may still be alive.
The only ones whose fate I know for sure are as follows:
Robert Smith -- "Buffalo" Bob (and Howdy) -- deceased, 07/30/98
Bob Keeshan -- Clarabell the Clown (the original) -- still alive
Judy Tyler -- Princess Summerfall Winterspring -- deceased, 07/04/57
(Judy Tyler died in an auto accident -- not of natural causes.)
In addition, the IMDb indicates that Allen Swift, who performed
several live characters, and voiced many of the puppets in the
mid-1950s, continued to act in films and TV through the late 1990s.
Given the fairly extensive list of acting credits to his name, and the
absence of any reference to his passing, I would assume that he is
still with us, as well, but cannot be sure.
That still leaves several performers unaccounted for, including:
Dayton Allen -- Pierre the Chef (and many others, plus voices)
Bill LeCornec -- Chief Thunderthud (and voice of Dilly Dally)
Bob Nicholson -- Clarabell (the second), Corny Cobb, others
Lew Anderson -- Clarabell (the third, who finally spoke)
Gina Ginardi (?) -- Princess Gina Runningwater
Ted Brown -- Bison Bill (filled in for Buffalo Bob)
And I am sure I have missed some, as the "Howdy Doody Show" ran for
thirteen years, in one form or another -- over 3,000 episodes.
If all, or most, of these people are still living, it would seem to me
that the "Howdy Doody Show" should be added to the list of TV shows
whose cast members lived an unusually long time after ending their
run, since the show practically began when TV did, late in 1948,
Can anyone shed light on any of this???
-- Doug Peterson --
Mack Twamley
"Doug Peterson" <peters...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3e362066...@news.earthlink.net...
> That still leaves several performers unaccounted for, including:
>
> Dayton Allen -- Pierre the Chef (and many others, plus voices)
Was this the guy who played a farcical idiot later on in the Steve Allen
show? Whose classic line was "Why NOT?"
Dr. Rev. Chuck, M.D. P.A.
>
> After recently reading (both in print, and online) about the history
> of the "Howdy Doody Show," I have been trying, without much success,
> to learn who -- among its human cast -- may still be alive.
>
> The only ones whose fate I know for sure are as follows:
>
> Robert Smith -- "Buffalo" Bob (and Howdy) -- deceased, 07/30/98
> Bob Keeshan -- Clarabell the Clown (the original) -- still alive
> Judy Tyler -- Princess Summerfall Winterspring -- deceased, 07/04/57
Howdy -- early 1980's. String cancer.
Kathy O'Connell
"R" <r*@att.net> wrote in message
news:8RuZ9.163$Wu1....@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> > Judy Tyler -- Princess Summerfall Winterspring -- deceased, [23]
07/04/57
>
> > (Judy Tyler died in an auto accident -- not of natural causes.)
> Judy Tyler (aka, Judith Mae Hess) 23,
> Oct. 9, 1933 (Milwaukee, WI) - Jul. 4, 1957 (Billy the Kid, WY)
Her death was the first trauma of my life.
I never see any mention of the character that replaced her, "Peppy Mint."
Incredibly annoying, especially following in the moccasin-steps of Princess
SFWS
STOP!! If you're interested in this thread, go out and read "Say Kids, What
Time Is It?" A wonderful book about the Howdy Doody Show. It was inspired by
the author's love for Judy Tyler and curiosity about her. It's a wonderful
read.
> > That still leaves several performers unaccounted for, including:
> > Lew Anderson -- Clarabell (the third, who finally spoke)
Still alive and doing nostalgia conventions as of 2/2002.
> > Gina Ginardi (?) -- Princess Gina Runningwater
> ? name not on IMDB
> > Ted Brown -- Bison Bill (filled in for Buffalo Bob)
> ?
Died, but don't know the date. He was best known in NY as a dj on the old
WNEW.
Mary L. Wallace
> After recently reading (both in print, and online) about the history
> of the "Howdy Doody Show," I have been trying, without much success,
> to learn who -- among its human cast -- may still be alive.
>
> The only ones whose fate I know for sure are as follows:
>
> Robert Smith -- "Buffalo" Bob (and Howdy) -- deceased, 07/30/98
> Bob Keeshan -- Clarabell the Clown (the original) -- still alive
> Judy Tyler -- Princess Summerfall Winterspring -- deceased, 07/04/57
>
> (Judy Tyler died in an auto accident -- not of natural causes.)
>
> In addition, the IMDb indicates that Allen Swift, who performed
> several live characters, and voiced many of the puppets in the
> mid-1950s, continued to act in films and TV through the late 1990s.
> Given the fairly extensive list of acting credits to his name, and the
> absence of any reference to his passing, I would assume that he is
> still with us, as well, but cannot be sure.
All I know for sure is that Lew Anderson is still very much with us
(He still plays jazz clarinet in clubs in the NYC area) and that Bill
LeCornec and Bob Nicholson have passed on in recent years.
BTW, Judy Tyler had just finished filming "Jailhouse Rock" when she
died in a horrible automobile accident in July 1957. Elvis Presley is
said to have been soupset by her death that he never saw the movie.
Mary Lou Wallace
Mark The Shark
In the early 1980s (1983?) I remember reading a column by Bob Greene in the
Chicago Tribune (yeah, him) about an incident where an office was broken into
and vandalized...I believe it was Roger Muir's office (he produced the Howdy
Doody show). They didn't take anything, as I recall, but they broke into a
locked glass case, took out one of the original Howdy Doody puppets and trashed
the puppet...ripped his head off, etc. I believe Howdy was sent to a shop to be
reconstructed.
Lew Anderson was still kicking last I heard. He used to do personal appearances
with Buffalo Bob. He is a member of the Sons Of The Desert and his picture was
in the Intra-Tent Journal a few years back. Good to hear he's still playing
music.
Sorry to hear Corny Cobb and Thunderthud have passed, but no one lives forever.
Anyone know when they died?
<< And I am sure I have missed some, as the "Howdy Doody Show" ran for
thirteen years, in one form or another -- over 3,000 episodes. >>
The actual count of the original NBC shows is 2,343, between 12/27/47 and
9/24/60 (I think those dates are right). Incidentally...I was born in 1967 so I
never saw the original Howdy Doody show when it was on. But my parents
mentioned it and told me it was a good show. Later on, when I was about 9 years
old, "The New Howdy Doody Show" premiered. This was a syndicated show which
premiered in 1976, and lasted a season or two. Everyone associated with it has
said it was bad, or at least not nearly as good as the original...and having
seen many of the original shows I am inclined to agree. But I enjoyed it and I
watched it regularly. A few years ago two VHS box sets of episodes were
released. I got them both. This raises a couple questions.
I have read the book "Say Kids, What Time Is It?" In that book, the author
writes of how the shows were shot in segments (with a live audience never
seeing some of the scenes that were taped outside the main studio) and I
believe it also says that the shows were taped far in advance of their airing,
in the summer of 1976. But one thing in one of the shows puzzles me...as I
recall, the show premiered in the fall of 1976...and in one of the episodes in
the box set, there is a reference to President Jimmy Carter. Carter was elected
in November 1976 and took office in January 1977...way after these shows would
have been taped, according to what is said in the book. Were the writers
clairvoyant and knew that Carter would defeat Gerald Ford...or did they shoot
the scene two ways, one making reference to President Ford and the other
President Carter? Or did the show actually run two seasons (I don't think it
did)? The shows are numbered and one tape which includes shows 26-1 through
26-4 (the first number is the 26th week...the second is the day of the
week...26-1 was a Monday show, 26-2 was Tuesday etc.) states on the back that
these were "the very last shows of the Howdy Doody dynasty" (or some equally
silly line, I don't have it in front of me). Maybe I just need to get out more.
Of course, those weren't truly the "very last" shows...one more Howdy Doody
show was produced in 1987 (a 40th anniversary show), which was truer to the
original series. Bill LeCornec played Thunderthud in the 1987 show...wonder why
Thunderthud wasn't in the 1976 series. Thunderthud would have been better than
the wimpy, prissy "Nicholson Muir" (a really annoying character--his name is
based on the last names of the two producers). I would guess the change was
made for political correctness reasons...but it seems people were much more
conscious of that in 1987 than in 1976. The box sets include a photo of Bob
Smith with the puppets, which is not from 1976 but looks like it was taken at
the time of the 1987 special...Bob has gray hair and the Howdy puppet looks
like the original.
Well, feel free to ignore me, I'm just rambling.
Doug Peterson
original inquiry. Keep it coming, please, as the subject matter has
captured my interest, as of late.
To recap:
Several posts have documented that Lew Anderson (the third and final
Clarabell) is still very much alive, and performing.
"R" indicates that Dayton Allen is sill alive, at 83.
Mary Lou Wallace stated that Bob Nicholson and Bill LeCornec have
passed away in recent years.
Kathy O'Connell noted that Ted Brown is also deceased.
With all due respect, I might question the Ted Brown information, as I
have subsequently stumbled across a forum at www.bigband-era.com, in
which someone identifying himself as Ted Brown's grandson notes that
Ted Brown was alive (albeit in less-than-perfect health) as of this
last October. If so, I expect that his passing would have been
sufficiently newsworthy to have been mentioned somewhere in the last
three months, and I can find no reference to it, anywhere.
What I would not dispute (in Kathy O'Connell's post) is her comment
regarding the Stephen Davis book "Say Kids, What Time Is It?," which I
have found to be among the very best TV show histories ever written.
In my opinion, Davis' book is right up there with Hill and Weingrad's
excellent "Saturday Night," about the first few incarnations of SNL.
By the way, I must defer to Mark (the Shark's) corrections regarding
episode counts (2,343) and air dates (1947-1960). That's what I get
for relying on my memory, and not checking my references. I guess we
Peanut-could-have-beens are getting to the age now where such details
tend to slip more easily from ready recollection. :))
As to the question Mark posed regarding the Ford/Carter comments
contained in the 1976 version, Stephen Davis pointed out that the
later shows were taped "every six days," presumably a week's worth at
a time. Inasmuch as there were 130 episodes taped, this would suggest
a 26-week taping schedule -- plenty of time for the election to have
been decided during the show's run, and to allow for references to
President Carter in the later installments.
(Remember, this was, after all, back when Presidential elections were
actually decided on Election Day.)
Anyway, thank you to everyone who has responded thus far. I look
forward to reading any and all further comments.
-- Doug Peterson --
Rich Clancey
+> Dayton Allen -- Pierre the Chef (and many others, plus voices)
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ Was this the guy who played a farcical idiot later on in the Steve Allen
+ show? Whose classic line was "Why NOT?"
He supposedly had an enormous penis, which he used to amuse
the cast with backstage during breaks.
--
rich clancey r...@world.std.com
James Polson
"Rich Clancey" <r...@shell01.TheWorld.com> wrote in message
news:H9K9p...@world.std.com...
Rich Clancey
+ so what's your point asshole.
I just wanted to hear you say that.
--
rich clancey r...@world.std.com
gulfcoa...@yahoo.com
Big Mongo
> I actually appeared on the Howdy Doody Show, but for the life of me, I don't even remember Judy Tyler! What character did she play?