mr. t's t.v. memories...

Was listening to A Prairie Home compnaion rerun tonight. they were out in Montanna, so they had this cowboy yodeling guy on with his band. He sang this typical song about learnin' ta bea cowboy. then the yodleing part came. He sang a yodeling pattern so familiar to me I knew it in an instant. I kne wI heard this song before. Now you would think, Tom, you nuts, all yodeling sounds alike. Generally, that's true, but this yodeling chorus was instantly recognizable -


When I was a kid we had 3 channels we could get crystal clear and two others. one was fuzzy from Kalmazoo and theother from Grand Rapids. channel 3. there were kiidie shows abound after school. Channel 3 had "rodeo round up" type show complete with kids on bleachers, popeye cartoons, and an old cowboy guy who did rope tricks, and: a yodeled theme song.


Now you know the rest of the story. Dan and I can remember the exact yodel part of the song he did, if you think hard Dan. It would not behoove me to spell it out here on e-mail, it would look silly.


But this guy on Prairie Home Companion Show did the exact yodel this old guy did years ago. It must be the same damn song. The TV cowboy guy probably only used the yodeling part for his theme song. He even played guitar and sang once in a while. te only reson we couldn't watch it very often is the station did not always come in very good with rabbit ears.


the obvious ones for us in Lansing were:
Ranger Jim -until about 1964. He'd climb down from the toer and talk to somecamera or puppet (couple gophers or something. I remember just as I was liking Ranger Jim, a new Ranger Jim shoed up one day. hey, what happened, that's not Ranger Jim. What he do, get plastic surgery? I think they showed cartoons.


Alley Cat- the best! (with "Mr. Mayor" played by Howard Lancour he later was a news anchor.Still later in retirement a good local actor. Mom had talked to him when we went on the show. She talked him about Lyle, so he was half interested another fellow broadcast guy.) Kids on bleachers, slow poke suckers, milk duds, Pansy the Bull Gog, and some other critter I have long forgotten. Puupteer was alledgely the weatherman, Dennis ? (James?) who Mark Carlson said was a drunk. Ha, probably have to be to be on a kiddie show squatting behind a fence doing silly voices and puppets. I bet that pissed off Martha Dixon, the cooking and tlka show queen bee. Mack and Myer for Hire, other cartoons including Space Angel, Popeye, and the Lone ranger reruns...


Soupy Sales showed up on channel 8 I think. Fang, and other various creatures you never fully saw (arm puppets), and lots of pies and old silent movies, including sound ones from Laurel and Hardy.


What the hell was on channel 12 out of Flint? Some lady at one point who hosted a show. For thelife of me I can see her image inblack and white, but don't remember her name or show. All I remember is the cartoons, like Bullwinkle, Woody Woodpecker, later Wally Gator, Underdog with Tennessee Tuxedo and Chumley ("Duh, gee, Tennessee," "Nevermind that Chumley, just get me out of here! Get me out of here!"), Ode Cologne, Touche Turtle, and Limpy the Lion and Hardy Har Har ("wahtta we do now Limpy?").


And of course, The Three Stooges. At one point, the Mouseketeers. When American Bandstand stopped being daily about 1963, on ABC (12) that's when the kiddie shows on 12 really took off.


Channel 10: Land of Play in the morning. "and wave, and wave, and wave." Romper room ("Romper Stomper Bomper Boo, tellme tell me tell me do, did all our frineds have fun at play..." who thought that up, anyway?)Romper Room had two different channels two different ladies. That was confusing to al ittle kid. "Which one is my teacher?" I don't think 1o had any other kiddie shows. Just talk shows and game shows. Good idea though-at least the adults had something if the kids were outside playing.
Ome of the funniestmemries is Channel 12 Polka show. Adult guys in a polka band in Leiderhosen and funny looking people dancing around. Hey, who are those two kids in their under wear dancing aounrd in a circle wearing a path in the carpet in the living room? heh heh, I'll never tell.....


Mr. Magic on channel 12. he did two things. Wearing a urban and cape and suit, he did a few simple magic tricks while hosting a movie. soon he had a kiddie show everyday but I don't recall if t was am or pm. Cartoons. I think th e"lady" mentioned earlier repplaced. He later showed up ptching commericals like Danford's Cleaners and some supermarket chain like Farmer Pete's or something. I think at one time he was a news anchor.


Cartoons after the news at night before the networks started included Hucklberry Hound, Heckle and Jekyll, Mighty Mouse, Snaggle pus as part of Yogi Bear, all the Hannah Barbara cartoons. Quicksdraw McGraw, Rough and Ready, you name it.
When you were sick at home you could watch Andy Griffith, the Real McCoys, and Dick Van dyke, and opf course I Love Lucy. Sometimes Danny Thomas or Father Knows Best.
If I left anything out, well, memory is going. Saturday morning and Sunday is another subject entirely.

seems trivial but any victory over fading memory is a major one at my age...

WJRT TV channel 12, the lady who hosted an afternoon kiddie show with Touche Turle and stuff - Miss Nadine!!!
or was it Raydine!!! i think it was "Nadine, baby is that you?"
WJIM weAtherman who also did Alley Cat and Pansie ("I hoid yas was back.") was Dennis Wayne.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO3I2c9av2w


by mr.t