Viewers share their memories
of growing up with Boston locals.

Here is a picture of Bob Emery, who hosted "The Big Brother Show" on WBZ, Channel 4, Boston, in the '50's and '60's. He was a Boston radio and television celebrity for decades. He headed a club known as "The Small Fry Club".

I remember him in the '50's, having us salute the flag with a glass of milk. We would drink the milk as he played, "Hail to the Chief", and he showed a portrait of President Eisenhower. Sometimes he would gather the kids around and talk or sing... He would play a ukulele or banjo. I believe he read the comics at times.

No one has yet mentioned an old sea captain named Salty Brine, who had the show "Salty Brine's Shack" on Providence, RI television (not Boston, but as a child, I didn't make that distinction). He also doubled as a news or weather anchor in Boston.

- Sincerely, Sherrye Weinstein

THANKS FOR THE PICTURES SHERRYE!

The actor who played the Boston sea captain and "Pablo" was Richard Kilbride.

Additionally, the man who played "Pablo," the first, Mexican sidekick of Rex Trailer, also had his own show on WBZ-TV, also playing a sea captain (like "Salty Brine" did in Rhode Island), and the character's name was "Sandy Beach."

- Jim Moran

Around 1961-1962, he led a wagon train across part of Massachusetts, taking parents of retarded children with him. I have a brother with Down Syndrome, so my mother made a pioneer-style costume or two and went on the wagon train. It ended in Boston, with Boomtown that Saturday being filmed OUTSIDE as the wagon train came home, entering the outdoor studio. I was on Boomtown that day, outside.

My mother got a really nice foot-and-a-half-long plastic wagon train model mounted like a trophy.

I was on Boomtown again later on, probably in 1963, in the usual indoor studio. They tested us for our voices, and my loud voice could reach the microphones, so I was chosen for sheriff.

Everything was indoors and live, with a large TV camera about five feet from my face in the sheriff's office, as I told TV land my name and town of residence (Marblehead, MA, back then).

Rex Trailer really did have a horse named Goldrush. After the "hoofbeats" song, he'd ride about 20 feet or so from behind a fake building in the studio, into an area in front of a fake outdoor backdrop. Pueblo was his partner back then. We also had Critter Corner with an older man showing us live animals.

My second time on Boomtown was quite an education in TV production. I could see the lights hanging from the metal supports near the ceiling, and the buildings that looked so real on TV but were really just indoor props. They set up the monitors knowing the children would look at the monitors, facing the way the cameramen wanted. The theme of the show was "gravity".

How fitting for me to be sheriff on a show with a scientific theme, as I'm currently a university science department chair. By the way, the deputy sheriff and I did not catch the "wanted man". But it was still fun.

- Howard Merken, Chattanooga, TN

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Major Mudd was an astronaut, that was supposed to be on a space station. He not only hosted the kid's show, he showed cartoons and had lots of games for the kids in the audience.

Rex Trailer was a cowboy, on a western set, that did pretty much the same thing. He had a sidekick called "Sgt Billy," a U.S. Cavalry Sgt, from the old west. His show was on Sunday mornings, along with the cartoons and games, he showed "Davey and Goliath" programs.

Captain Boston was a modern day fighter pilot. His sidekick was a German Shepard. He showed Hanna-Barbera cartoons and "Roger Ramjet."

Willy Whistle NEVER spoke. He whistled EVERYTHING!!! He hosted a kids afternoon show.

Bunker Hill was an old train conductor, who hosted his afternoon fair on TV 56. When he passed away, he was replaced by Bob Glover, a gifted entertainer with a new gimmick... treating kids like people. I never felt like he was ever talking down to me.

- Jon

Curiously, someone has posted on your site that Dave was Willie Whistle. Although he did work on the Willie Whistle show (along with other directing duties at Boston's channel 38, including working from the remote truck at Bruins games), he wasn't Willie.

For some period of time, his was the off-screen voice with whom Willie conversed.

My understanding is that Willie's non-clown alter-ego is Dick Beach, who is the one who, as the clown, amazingly balanced a tiny whistle on the back of his tongue as he spoke. I had also heard that these whistles would, from time to time, get swallowed, causing all kinds of curious GI issues to which I can only allude.

God bless Dick Beach wherever his is, and Dad, and hats off to the Willie Whistle Show, which brought the Boston area such anime' classics as Speed Racer, Kimba the White Lion, and Astro Boy, as well as the "American" 'toons, Avin and the Chipmunks and Clyde Crashcup (and Leonardo!). Peace, and thanks for the neat site.

-Dave Droll III

It was called "Skiddle Alley" and it had a song that said "Skiddle Alley, Skiddle Alley etc etc." Please let me know if you remember that one. I think it was hosted by Rex Trailer from BOOM TOWN.

- Thanks, Rick Gendrolis

I do not know if you remember The Ranger Andy Show, it aired back in the 1950's on WTIC-TV Channel 3 in Hartford, Connecticut (today it is called WFSB-TV Channel 3).

Ranger Andy produced a record which was called "The Nature Song" and also "What It Feels Like To Be A Ranger". The recording appeared on a Golden Record which was a 78 RPM back in the early days.

One of my favorites of all was Willie Whistle, back in the days of WSBK-TV Channel 38, where he would talk in a high-pitched voice. Plus also I remember Bozo The Clown with Frank Averuch which was on WHDH-TV Channel 5 in Boston (now WCVB-TV Channel 5).

I also remember Major Mudd,and his famous "IBBY - I'll Be Blasting You", which aired on WNAC-TV Channel 7 Boston in the 1960's. No longer WNAC, the station went through call letter changes from WNAC to WNEV-TV and then WHDH-TV.

I also remember Rex Trailer, and "Boom Town", which had been a fixture on WBZ-TV Channel 4 back to the old days of Boston television. All of these old shows are off the air now. Listening to the old recordings, and watching the old favorites from the days of television brings back so many wonderful memories of days gone by. I would like to see more of them and I wish you all of the very best on your site.

- Sincerely, Michael A. Daley Jr.

A contestant was an obnoxious young lady by the name of Marilyn Patch who was a child ventriloquist that had a show called "Marilyn and Calico the Donkey" on Saturday morning in Boston at 7 AM. It was on WHDH, which was the CBS affiliate then.

I should certainly know what this show was but I have absolutely no recollection. I would like to know if you have heard of it, or if I could ask around (I live in Boston). Whatever happened to this girl, who knows? She is totally forgotten.

- Craig L.

I know Major Mudd died quite young of diabetes in the early '70s. It is agreed he was the best TV show personality regarding his relationship to the kids. He was always available for personal appearances, mostly benefits. He was my favorite and it was devastating to the Boston area when he died.

When Boomtown ended, Rex Trailer became a teacher at Emerson College (alma mater of Jay Leno and Denis Leary). He must have taught there about twenty years and has since retired. I believe he still lives in the Boston area.

Big Brother Bob Emery was on back in the fifties. I remember little of him, except he would always toast President Eisenhower with a glass of milk on every show. He was pretty old then and I am sure is long gone.

Willie Whistle had some kind of bird whistle in his mouth and you could hardly understand him. It got very irksome. His costume very much resembled Ronald McDonald.

- Sincerely, Craig L.

"I taped it myself - I was maybe 7 seven years old. And I did get my "Nu-Fizz Wiggling Whale" (the consolation prize that everyone got - a plastic wiggle picture of a spouting whale)."

- Cheers, Peter Mork

- Paul Bondi, Worcester

I think the ending to the Big Brother song was:

So long small fry,
it's time to say goodbye,
come back again,
tomorrow night and then,
we'll have some fun,
there's some for everyone,
so don't forget we have a date,
tomorrow night and don't be late,
so small fry, so long.

His show was the one that sang:

The grass is always greener,
in the other fellow's yard

and ended with:

if we all could wear green glasses now,
wouldn't be so hard,
to see how green the grass is,
in our own back yard.

Do you have anything on the Bonny Maid Linoleum Show?

- David

I remember the Big Brother Bob Emery show very well because, at the tender age of 6 years old in 1959, I did a live 'Cracker Jack' commercial with another little girl on the show. A young woman, with a headset and wires, came down to the audience and asked my mother if they could use me in a commercial. This was long before "release" contracts and we didn't get paid other than with the thrill of being onstage with big Brother Bob!  We were both dressed up, respectively, in Cowboy and Cowgirl costumes that day and brought up on stage. He sat at his table with us standing on either side and there were 2 huge bowls and 2 huge boxes of the product standing up on the desk. Brother Bob asked us: "Do you kids like 'Cracker Jack' popcorn?" My mother told me I blurted out: "I love it!" and grabbed at the bowl and the other little girl just spoke softly: "Yes". They did a second (and final) take after they asked me to do and say the same thing and asked the girl to just say "yes" a little more louder. All I remember after that was getting a huge box of 'Cracker Jack' that lasted forever and bragging rights to all my childhood friends with my big box to prove it. No, no tape exists and no, I still don't have the box but, I still do have the great memory.
 
Of course, we use to get to see all these local Boston "stars" live in appearances at 'Pleasure Island' amusement park in Wakefield, MA in the 60s. I attached the costume I wore that day that I got for Christmas of 1958.

- Bill Haver

Rex Trailer's original sidekick was a gentleman whose stage name was Pablo. They lived together in "The Bunkhouse" he also had a horse named "Goldrush" Pablo was notoriously lazy. In fact, they had a contest for kids to write in and suggest ways to wake Pablo up. The winning entry had Rex place a spotlight in the bunkhouse and play roaring applause and fanfare music, which woke Pablo up immediately. I believe the prize was a bobsled.

During the program, Rex would often show off his expertise with a bull whip, placing a rolled piece of newspaper in a child's mouth and whipping it, slicing the newspaper clipping to the applause of the children who were on-set witnessing the show. If such an act were performed today, Rex would have a lawsuit slapped on him in a New York Minute!!

Sergeant Billy played by actor Bill O'Brien ( now an insurance salesman in the greater Boston area ) was introduced to the program after Cactus Pete played by actor Terrance Currier 1967-1969, who replaced Pablo played by actor Dick Kilbride from 1956-1967 .

"Rex had a 45 RPM record released in the early '60's called "Hoof Beats" It was an original song and I still recall every word of it, over 40 years later.

- Larry Barter

Just a couple of memories (I don't have many,) about 60's-70's children's TV in the Boston area. I remember when I was very young, probably about six, my parents took me to the Brockton Fair. I remember seeing Rex Trailer performing there. I also remember parts of his theme song.

"Hoofbeats hoofbeats hoofbeats
Movin' 'cross the praire side.
Hoofbeats hoofbeats hoofbeats
Ride cowboy, ride."

and

"The thunder out across the plain
When the sheriff hollers "Shoot!"

<kapow!>

 
Rex's mother lived down on the Cape and was good friends with my Grandmother, who always refered to her as, "Mrs. Trailer".

Remember the kids marching into the corrall, walking through the gate, waving, while "Hey Look Me Over" played in the background? As a laugh, some members of my High Scholl graduating class ('78) were going to do the same thing during commencement.

I was a huge Major Mudd fan too. My lifetime love of The Three Stooges started with him. I also remember watching Abbott and Costello cartoons with him, which he introduced by yelling "Hey, Abbaahhhhhhtttttt!!!"

Willie Whistle on WSBK 38 had kids draw pictures of himself and he'd show them on TV. I sent a few in but I don't believe he ever showed them. It was impossible to understand a word he said, so the voice off screen would have to repeat everything:

"Bweep-bweep-bweep bweep bweep bweep bweep bweep bweep bweep!"

"Yesterday you took a trip to the zoo?"

"Bweep."

"And what happened then?"

"Bweep bweep bweep bweep bweep-bweep-bweep bweep bweep bweep-bweep!"

"Oh, you saw a huge elephant and a tiger?"

"Bweep."

And so on and so on.

Meanwhile, on Channel 56 (I've long forgotten their original call letters, although they changed to WLVI in the 70's,) Dale Dorman would introduce the next show, during closing credits of The Banana Splits or The Monkees. I remember for a while he did some commercials for the programming dressed as a circus ringmaster, something along the lines of "Under the Big Top at 56!"

That's all I can remember right now. This site is fantastic and I want to say thank you for letting us Boomers/Gen Xers rattle things around up in the old attic!

- Daniel Newton

Rex and Goldrush also appeared at our local High School, in Portsmouth , NH. (Hoofbeats Hoofbeats Hoofbeats, thunder cross a prairie wild....) Beaver Cleaver appeared at the High School shortly thereafter.

In 1969 we moved to Harvard, MA (and lived down the street from... Dave Maynard). A friend of ours in Harvard (Mr. Atkinson) was one of the general managers at Channel 7. Every time there was a school holiday or something, we would get to go on his new show with Ed McDonnel, "Skittle Alley."

The opening song went "Skittle Alley, Skittle Alley "come on down lot's of things to do Skittle Alley, Skittle Alley, ...."

Ed's new show ran in both 1/2 hr and 1 hour formats. You actually had to walk through Paul Benziquin's talk show area in the lobby to get to Skittle Alley. There was a state-of-the-art dance contest, there was the meet and greet where they played the song "Hello, Hello" and you got to smile and wave to the camera.

I remember Walter Stone from the Stone Zoo coming on with animals and the prizes you went home with were great! (especially those stingray bikes he gave away to the dance contest winner). I think the show was only on the air from 1972 to 1973.

Boston had awesome shows on the air during the late 60's to mid 70's. There was the famous "Jabberwocky" (I have seen this show on channel 5 sometimes in recent years at like 4:30 in the morning on a Sunday) with the puppet Dirty Frank, Carl and Trina; The Uncle Gus Show shot live every afternoon in Manchester NH, The PBS show Zoom, Major Mudd (why couldn't he ever get that cardboard space ship door to close?) You had to go "SHHHHH" and slice your hand vertically to get the thing to slide shut!) and don't forget, Dale Dorman's comments between cartoons on the UHF station 56.

There was Maggie and the Beautiful Machine with Maggie Letvin, Julie Child as the French Chef, and the Illustrious "Pixanne." We saw lots of Davy & Goliath, Gumby & Pokey, and Hercules.

I just turned 42 last week and I remember them all... my brother Steve still has the "Crossfire" game that he won on Skittle Alley while dancing to "I heard it through the Grapevine" and "Shambala." What do you think of that? :-)

- Jen Whitall

Jabberwocky:

I remember living in Waltham, MA in the 1960's and going to the Easter Parade. That to me was the most exciting thing I ever went to.

Rex Trailer and Bozo were in that parade. I remember my father holding my little brother to see Bozo go by and he tried to pull off his red nose. Back at school students had to draw a picture of their favorite part of the parade. If you came in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th you got your picture hung up in the window at Grover Cronin's in Waltham. You then got to meet the Easter Bunny. The Bunny presented you with a coconut egg (yuk) and a ribbon and I was one the lucky winners when I was 7. The highlight was seeing Rex Trailer drive by. To me he was a Super Star.

- Carolyn L

Hi, I would like to help with pictures and info about a promotional appearance at WNAC - TV Channel 7 Boston.

In the 1960s Baseball legend Ted Williams and former boxing heavyweight champion Jack Sharkey appeared at TV Channel 7 to promote the Major Mudd, Superman and Batman programs.

1966 b&w promotional pictures, 7.5(w) x 8.50(h), from National Periodical Publications of Ed McDonnell as Major Mudd, George Reeves as Superman, and Adam West as Batman were distributed in limited quantity by the station to random studio audience members to obtain their autographs.

My Dad was one of the lucky few to receive all three promotional pictures.

The bottom of the Major Mudd picture reads - MAJOR MUDD Monday through Friday 4:30 P.M. Channel 7. The Bottom of the Superman picture reads - SUPERMAN Monday through Friday 5:30 P.M. Channel 7. The bottom of the Batman picture reads - BATMAN Wednesday and Thursday 7:30 P.M. Channel 7.

Ted Williams autographed all three pictures and Jack Sharkey autographed the Batman picture.

It is amazing that Channel 7 brought together the best hitter in baseball history and the only fighter in boxing history to box against both Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis to promote kid shows in Boston!

Sincerely, Tim

Well, one day for my birthday, my Mom sent my name in. I didn't know. Man! When Miss Jean looked into that TV screen right at me, and said "Happy Birthday Sherry Stone!" I couldn't run fast enough behind our big gray easy chair! I was terrified, but was really excited at the same time. It meant so much to me that she wished me a Happy Birthday... I still can remember it like it was yesterday - sigh-.

Shirah ( Sherry Stone) Gantman

How about Channel 7 offering huge Batman posters to kids back during the show's heyday in the '60s. It would cover the entire wall of your bedroom.

WNAC-TV also had someone dressed up as Captain America showing cartoons in the afternoon. Sadly, Uncle Gus of WMUR-TV just passed away at the age of 85 while enjoying his retirement in Hawaii.

Most New Hampshire kids appeared on his show and went home with a Bonomo's Turkish Taffy Bar. The biggest treat was to crank up the jack-in-the-box to begin another old Popeye cartoon with lines and hairs running thru the film.

- Tim

OK, gang, let's sing the Major Mudd theme!

"With an I and a B and a B and a Y
Means 'I'll Be Blasting You!'
We'll take a trip In a rocket ship
Up in the sky so blue!
With Major Mudd
In the Nervous One
Means lots of fun for you--
With an I and a B and a B and a Y
Means 'I'll Be Blasting YOUUUUU!'"

After playing the Stooges weekday afternoons in the mid-60s, MM had a two-hour weekday show on Channel 7, featuring LASSIE reruns, Looney Tunes, games and skits during the late 60s - great stuff, wish I had a VCR then!

Feep on FANTASMIC FEATURES kept my brother and I up late for our horror-movie fix - I think Ed McDonnell (the Major) may have doubled on Feep. His sign-off was similar--"I'll be Feeping you!"

Big Brother goes back earlier for me, but I do recall him and puppet dog co-star Flash singing "Small Fry, So Long" while BB pumped a player piano.

When I toured WBZ-TV on a high school trip in 1973, I saw that piano, covered with trash and ready for the Dumpster, sigh. Also saw the BOOMTOWN set, mostly painted canvas flats, hanging above the studio--no wonder that mesa looked shaky!

The BOOMTOWN format held fast--first part at the bunkhouse with Pablo, then footage of Rex riding his horse outdoors to Boomtown, then dissolve to "Howdy Kids!" "Howdy Rex" as he arrives on the indoor set. Remember the Litterbug Song? Pablo or Sgt. Billy would drop a Waleeco candy bar wrapper or similar trash on the floor, to be hit with a chorus of "YOU'RE A LITTERBUG!!!!!" and then the song, "Litterbug, Litterbug, shame on you/Look at the terrible things you do..." Anybody recall the rest?

Let's just say it made a neatnik out of me!

With all respects to Mr. Avruch's Bozo, we in Worcester had a five-star Bozo in the center ring at WSMW-TV, Channel 27, weekday afternoons during the early and mid-70s.

I was an intern at the station then and saw our court jester, Tom Matzell, warm up the kids in the grandstand ("Now don't stand up, kids, or you might fall on your bumptedy-bum-bum!") before taping and wow them on the air. And no--"Cram it, clown" never happened on our show, though some locals swear to that urban legend!

As for Willie Whistle, nuff said! So let's read YOUR memories of Boston (and, ahem, Worcester) TV, and as the Major said, "We'll take a short break but we'll be back--and when we do, we'll look for YOU!"

All best,
- Brian Nelson Worcester, Mass.

"Oh! Look at the world full of beauty and art
what man has created with hand and with heart
His glittering cities that spark to the skies
his homes and his gardens a sight for sore eyes

Boston Locals:

Major Mudd

Locals Overview

Big Brother Bob Emery

Feep / Fantasmic Features

Jim Moran's Boston TV Memories

Tony Saletan &
early NET programs

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