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"Every time I see actor Peter Boyle, co-star of Everybody Loves Raymond and the monster from Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, I think of how much he looks like his dad, Pete Boyle. Pete's sketches on TV seemed to appear like magic, right out of thin air, onto the paper, when I was little." -
G. Robbins In Philadelphia Pete Boyle was a local staple on channel 3 (NBC outlet then) through its various incarnations from the early 50's until about 1963. Channel 3 was WPTZ, WRCV, and KYW during those years. During the early 50"s Pete Boyle had a children's program at noon on weekdays featuring a mascot puppet squirrel and the ability to do quick art pad sketches of animals - sponsored by Acme markets. He also made personal appearances at local elementary schools. He visited my school in '52. Around '53 he assumed the persona Chuck Wagon Pete under a western motif featuring westerns such as The Cisco Kid and others sponsored by Sylvan Seal milk following the network produced Howdy Doody Show at 6:00 PM weekdays. In the mid-fifties that same time slot was devoted to an avuncular Pete Boyle with a gentle personality featuring cartoons and the Little Rascals under the moniker of a circus-like theme called Fun House. Around the early 60's Pete Boyle was featured only on Saturday mornings with a taped program. After that he faded from the scenes and I don't remember seeing him much. Lee Dexter, a former vaudvillian, was also a long standing local staple on channel 3. Lee, an Australian native, devised Bertie the Bunyip, a mythical cross between a kangaroo and some other animal as a puppet featured on his program on late Sunday mornings for many years. He survived many shake-ups at the station and seemed immune. Although Lee Dexter and Pete Boyle worked at the same station I don't believed they ever collaborated on anything. Bertie the Bunyip was never part of any Pete Boyle program. Pete is long deceased and Lee died in the late 80's, spending his later retirement years extensively at Cape May, New Jersey. In the late 1980's character actor Peter Boyle, Jr. (Everybody Loves Raymond) son of "Uncle Pete" Boyle made a cameo appearance in a film titled The In Crowd. In the scene, Peter Boyle (essentially playing his father as "Uncle Pete") is trying to cheer up a sad little girl dressed in a cowgirl's outfit by promising to draw for her, "a picture of a magic horse" which perks the kid up. Another famous Philly TV performer Sally Starr also appears in the movie. This was Ms. Starr's last film appearance, she had already appeared with Adam West, Nancy Kovac, Emil Sitka, Henry Gibson and eight other local kid's TV hosts in The Three Stooges's last feature film The Outlaws Is Coming in 1965. - Kevin S. Butler As a child in West Philly my oldest brother was best friends with Pete Boyle (Everybody Loves Raymond), Pete spent many hours at our house during those years. I knew his dad was on TV and one of the highlights of my childhood was when I was 7 or 8 years old being home sick with chicken pox when “Chuck Wagon” himself came up the front steps to pick up his son. I remember him being a silver-haired Irishman with a ruddy complexion who upon hearing I was sick gave me a silver dollar, a real fortune at that time, which I cherished until I got better and made my first trip to the penny candy store. Those truly were “the days”. He later helped my brother get a job at a local radio station hosting a jazz program while he was in college. Frank Welding |
Pete Boyle and one of the sketches he did live on the air.
"Were you aware, the TV & motion picture actor Peter Boyle ('Young Frankenstein', 'Everybody Loves Raymond'), is Pete Boyle's son? "Also, I cannot find anything on your site regarding the ultimate Philly children's show, The Children's Hour, with Stan Lee Brosa. It was on every Sunday morning on WCAU. My twin cousins, the Braslow's, were on the show, singing & playing the piano. "I was an irregular regular on American Bandstand, from '59 till '61, until I moved to L.A. Jan.,'62. I sure wish I still had my Winky Dink kit. It would fetch a pretty penny on Ebay. ;-) Thanx for your wonderful site." - Stan Marks
TV
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:PHILLY LOCAL KID SHOWS:
Bertie the Bunyip / Fabulous Sally Starr
Dickery Doc and Adam Android
Happy the Clown / Chief Halftown / Joe Early
Gene London / A Letter From Gene London
Rex Morgan / Magic Garden / Captain Noah
Pete Boyle / Tottle / More Philly Shows
Philadelphia Local TV Memories
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