Interesting Facts About The Cast Of ‘Howdy Doody’
The whole institution of television got a strange awakening on a Saturday in December of 1947 when Howdy Doody debuted on NBC. "When the cameras rolled for the first show, we'd had no rehearsal whatsoever," Bob Smith (or, "Buffalo Bob") said in an interview with People magazine. "We didn't even have a puppet."
From that point on, the show only expanded. It ran for thirteen years and completely changed the children's television market. This show started out as a radio program, but then a little puppet changed everything...
Happy Days Brought Howdy Doody Back
Howdy Doody went off the air in 1960, but in the 1970s, Happy Days aired an episode called "The Howdy Doody Show" in which they brought back Bob Smith as Buffalo Bob. After the success of that episode, NBC agreed to bring back the character of Howdy Doody in a new show called New Howdy Doody Show.
The show only aired for a year. Children in the '70s didn't like the puppet very much.
Whatever Happened To Clarabell The Clown
This was a show that was being made right as it was airing. It aired live on television, so decisions had to be made in the moment. At one point early on in Howdy Doody's history, the Howdy Doody puppet was absent from the show. While Buffalo Bob worked on getting a new puppet, he needed something or someone else to keep the children's' interest. That's when Buffalo Bob looked to Bob Keeshan.
Smith asked Keeshan if he was willing to dress up as a clown, and that's how Clarabell the Clown was born.
He Didn't Exist At First
Before the Howdy Doody puppet was created, Howdy Doody was just an idea that Bob would tease his audience about. At one point, while talking to a group of children, Bob grabbed their attention by telling them he had a friend they would love, but that he was too bashful to come out and play. "I would tell them, 'he's in my desk drawer right here.'"
The children were so intrigued that they kept tuning into the show to see if they could get a glimpse of Bob's friend.
Clarabell's Inappropriate Behaviour
Bob Keeshan was the first of three actors to play Carabell the Clown. He left the show because he didn't want to be relegated to a minor role, and he ended up staring in his own show called Captain Kangaroo.
Before every taping, the crew of Captain Kangaroo had to brace themselves for the indecent exposure that Bob Keeshan usually displayed. “Unbeknownst to the little viewers, Cap’n Bob would take it upon himself to take out his ‘weenie,’ put a pencil under it, and wave it at Lumpy,” stage manager Daniel B. Morgan reported. Bob's sidekick on the show, "Lumpy," couldn't take the abuse anymore and decided to retaliate by peeing on Bob's leg.
Bob Smith's Tragic Childhood
Bob Smith's father endured a near-death experience while working as a coal miner in Illinois. A mine collapsed while he and his fellow miners wer inside it and there were only three survivors. After that, Bob's parents decided to quit the mining industry and move to Buffalo, New York to go into carpentry.
Bob's father encouraged his son to play the piano and follow his dreams. He knew that life was short, and he wanted his son to take advantage of his unique talents.
Howdy Doody's Stunt Double
There was only ever one authentic Howdy Doody puppet. The production team on the show tried to make backup Howdy puppets, but none of them ever came close enough to resembling the real Howdy. There were Howdy stunt puppets, though.
One of the attempted replicas was used in wide shots or when Howdy had to do anything that could cause his bodily harm. From a distance, the children didn't notice his higher cheekbones and brighter eyes. That puppet's name became Double Doody and recently, the Smithsonian bought him for $100,000.
Buffalo Bob Didn't Approve Of Hippie Culture
American culture was a lot different in the forties and fifties when Howdy Doody was airing than it became just a couple decades later. The children who watched Howdy Doody on television grew up into very hip and free adults. Bob found it ironic that the generation that grew up watching his programming were the ones to usher in the sexual revolution.
After receiving some challenging fan mail, Bob released a statement to the press, "I can't help but reflect on the effort network censors have gone through in order to protect the innocence of children of the Fifties. I guess for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction."
Judy Tyler Died In A Freak Accident
Actress Judy Tyler played Princess SummerFallWinterSpring on Howdy Doody. After she left the show, her character was replaced by a marionette. She went on to act opposite Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock. Shortly after filming wrapped on that movie, Judy and her husband, Greg, were driving from Hollywood to their home in New York when they got into a tragic car accident.
While winding through Wyoming on U.S. Route 287, a car towing a trailer lost control in front of them and collided with their vehicle. The accident was so brutal that Judy's body was cut in half, killing her instantly. Her husband tried to save himself and ended up snapping his own spine. He was taken to the hospital, where he soon passed away.
Bob Left The Public Eye
Bob pretty much stayed out of the public eye after Howdy Doody ended. He bought three Maine radio stations and one liquor store and then sold those properties when he was older so that he could travel between Maine and Florida each year with his family. He spent his time fishing and golfing, surrounded by his children and grandchildren. Howdy remained with Bob until the day that Bob died.
Bob's children never got into show business. They prefer to live quiet lives.
Bob Smith's Heart Attack
Can you imagine how difficult live TV must have been back in the late forties and early fifties? There really was no break. Buffalo Bob worked so hard that he gave himself a heart attack. At this point in his career, Bob ran his own talk show called The Bob Smith Show an hour each morning, as well as a 30-min network TV show and the Howdy Doody show each afternoon.
On Labor Day in 1954, his body gave out. "I had the worst crushing pains you could imagine. I felt like trucks were running over my chest," he said. After Bob returned home from the hospital, NBC built the set into his basement in New Rochelle. Instead of a live peanut gallery, the children watched from the old station. They were told that Bob and Howdy were on a secret mission to "Pioneer Village." The crew was able to pull this off for eight months before returning to set.
Howdy Never Left Bob's Side
"As long as I am living, I want Howdy with me. I don’t know how much he’s worth. What are your children worth?" Bob said of his puppet partner. Until Bob's death, Howdy remained in a Plexiglas case up on top of a filing cabinet across from his desk in his home office.
"That is the first thing you'd see--Howdy looking at you with a big smile!" Bob said goodnight to Howdy every evening on his way to bed up until the day he passed. "When I didn't have laryngitis, he would say it back to me."
An Alien Moment
Lovable puppeteer Buffalo Bob Smith was never any trouble to anyone. There is no dirt to be found on him from his Howdy Doody days, but he did alarm quite a few Americans during a broadcast once.
In 1949, Mr. Smith announced on his morning talk show that a space ship had landed in Virginia. He described it habitants as Lilliputian-like men dressed in 15th-century garb. Since he read it as if it was being released as a direct report from the United Press, it frightened a whole lot of people. Virginia was in a frenzy that day. Bob had to apologize after being scolded by NBC to never do something like that again.
He Had A Thing For Martinis
There are no scandals to be found in the life of Bob Smith. Family man and wholesome human being, he's never been pulled into the temptations that come along with showbiz.
Bob was married to his high school sweetheart, Mildred, for over 50 years. At the end of his life, he and his wife wrote a song to the tune of the Howdy Doody theme song that pretty much sums up their retirement, "It's martini time. It's martini time. Just mix vermouth and gin and drop an olive in. Now that our work is done, it's time to have some fun. No sense of feeling low. So gang, let's go." In his 70s, Bob drove around with a license plate that read: The Buff. He certainly deserved to relax in the sun and drink martinis all day after baby-sitting America's children for decades.
Howdy Was Kidnapped
In 1948, Macy's department store called up Howdy's creator, Frank Paris, to ask about rights for a Howdy Doody doll. Even though Frank had designed Howdy, Bob Smith owed the rights. Bob and Frank fought. Frank yelled on set that he was being cheated of his financial benefits and he stormed out with Howdy in hand.
The show had to air a few hours later without Howdy. If anyone remembers the episode where Buffalo Bob told the children that Howdy was busy getting plastic surgery to make him more presentable for the campaign trail, it was actually because there wasn't a puppet for the show. Despite all the plastic surgery, Howdy didn't win the presidency. Yes, the script worked, but it was an awful thing to teach children.
The Beginning Of Charlie Brown
Howdy Doody merchandise was everywhere in the 1950s. Children had Howdy Doody bed sheets, Howdy Doody kitchenware and Howdy Doody bikes. Without the Peanut Gallery (where the children interacted with the characters) the show wouldn't have been a success. Building off of this success, executives at United Features Syndicate got permission to use the name Peanuts for syndication of Li'l Folks comics, created by Charles M. Schulz.
The first comic was released in 1950 and bloomed alongside the Howdy Doody show for about ten years. Charles M. Schulz pulled from the Howdy Doody show fan base to sustain his career. It worked. Children of the fifties grew up calling themselves little peanuts, so they felt like the show and the comics were written just for them. What parent wouldn't contribute to this capitalization?
Howdy Is Based On Eddie Kean
Eddie Kean was the writer who developed Howdy Doody's mannerisms. He claims to have processed his childhood through the character of puppet. "The character of Howdy Doody was a sissy," said Eddie, "just like I was."
As a child, Eddie was soft-spoken, never confrontational and never did what he truly felt. "I never hit anybody, even if I wanted to." Eddie claims that he purposely made Howdy dull to see how the Peanut Gallery would embrace him. He was able to keep Howdy in disagreement with Buffalo Bob most of the time. The dialogues were a perfect balance between dull and confrontational.
Bob In The '70s
In the 1970s, Buffalo Bob was a regular speaker at the University of Pennsylvania after a college student invited him to help them return to the good old days. Among these students were some of those who had been a part of the first audience of the Howdy Doody show. Tired of war and violence, they were nostalgic for their old friend.
Bob said this to the Times in 1971, "The students want to see days with no draft card burnings, no war and no dope." When one student asked Bob if he'd ever smoked, he laughed and said, "I tried, but it stunted my growth."
Who Did Howdy Belong To?
Howdy Doody has been at rest at the Detroit Institute of Arts for many years now. Even though his partner, Buffalo Bob Smith, was from Buffalo, New York, it didn't seem to bother Bob's family to have Howdy's resting place in a state other than his own.
When Bob passed in 1998, a handful of groups believed they had the right to protest Howdy not be taken to Detroit, but since the Detroit Institute of Arts has the largest collection of famous puppets in the world, Detroit won the custody battle and there Howdy remains. I guess there are some good reasons to visit Detroit!
The Beginning Of Clarabell
You all know Clarabell the Clown. But just how did he come to be such an integral part of the show? Bob Keeshan, who is mostly known for his work as Captain Kangaroo, first worked on Howdy Doody but his beginnings are arguably just as humble as Smith's.
Keeshan got a job at NBC in New York as a fourth-floor receptionist. His tiny desk was located next to the office of Buffalo Bob Smith and the two began working together closely. After Buffalo Bob obtained his Saturday morning show, Keeshan was the one who was seating the children and handing out prizes in the studio audience for Howdy Doody.
Howdy Had 48 Freckles For A Reason
The design of the Howdy Doody puppet was actually very purposeful. It even contained a hidden message. Howdy had 48 freckles, one for every state of the union at the time of the show's start. He was meant to be an all-American puppet who would comfort the children of soldiers.
The U.S. was involved in four wars during the lifespan of Howdy Doody: The Cold War in the late forties, the Korean War and Cuban Revolution through the fifties, and the beginning of the Vietnam War.
Keeshan Got Paid
Keeshan's taking on of the Clarabell role was already in conjunction with his job as a receptionist. So when he first started playing the playful clown, Keeshan was offered no pay increase. To help make up for this, Bob Smith offered Keeshan five extra dollars a week out of his own pocket.
Soon, NBC came to their senses and realized that Keeshan was doing more work than he was getting paid to do. As a result, they increased his salary to $35 a week, which was more than twice what he made as a receptionist! Keeshan played Clarabell for about two years.
Clarabell Didn't Leave On Good Terms
Unfortunately, Keeshan's time as Clarabell would end up coming to a somewhat bitter end. In 1950, Bob Smith suspected Keeshan and other cast members of trying to start a union. By 1952, Keeshan was fired from the role of Clarabell. Things didn't end up so bad for Keeshan after that since he went on to have his own children's program, Captain Kangaroo, which was just as successful.
But wait, if Keeshan was fired, how come Clarabell remained on the show? Well, Smith took care of this by simply hiring a replacement clown. Clarabell the Clown would be portrayed by three different actors in his lifetime.
Another Clarabell
Actor and musician Bobby Nicholson replaced Keeshan as the second Clarabell the Clown. Nicholson was originally hired by NBC director E. Roger Muir to play trombone for The Howdy Doody Show. Bob Smith himself personally requested Nicholson's hire since they had known each other back in his hometown of Buffalo.
In addition to playing instruments for the show, Nicholson played various characters in the show's early iterations. Nicholson's most notable character role was that of J. Cornelius "Corny" Cobb, who was a shopkeeper. Ironically, the character Corny hated clowns but Keeshan's departure prompted Smith to ask Nicholson to play Clarabell for a short time.
One More For Good Measure
Nicholson's tenure as Clarabell wouldn't last long either since he requested that someone else take over. After he gave up the Clarabell role in 1954, Nicholson continued to play Corny and other supplementary characters on the show. But who replaced him as Clarabell? Musician Lew Anderson was next.
Lew Anderson is the best-known incarnation of Clarabell. Anderson played Clarabell the Clown from 1954 to 1960. He had the opportunity to speak Clarabell's one and only line throughout the life of the entire show. On The Howdy Doody Show's final episode in 1960, Clarabell says, "Goodbye, kids" with a visible tear in his eye.
Lew Anderson As Clarabell
It has been rumored that Buffalo Bob Smith hated Clarabell the Clown, often demeaning the character in subtle ways on the show. But the kids loved him. Whether or not the rumor is true, Smith did have an opinion on who played Clarabell the best and that honor was bestowed upon Lew Anderson, the third guy to play the mute clown and the one to have played him the longest.
When the Clarabell part opened up for the third time, Anderson was asked to play Clarabell even though he had no special talents. First considering it as just a job that paid more than $400 a week, Anderson's fame as Clarabell skyrocketed and lasted for decades.
Vote For Howdy Doody
The Howdy Doody Show creator E. Roger Muir had the idea of Howdy Doody running for president of the boys and girls of America. On March 4, 1948, Howdy Doody announced his candidacy for president. Of course, the adults didn't take this seriously, but the kids' response was enormous, prompting 250,000 requests for "I'm for Howdy" campaign buttons.
Howdy Doody's platform included two Christmases and a shorter school year. Speaking of school, Howdy Doody proposed history books that focused more on pictures than on words. The beloved puppet even went so far as to advocate for free admission to circuses and rodeos.
A Regular Ad Man
Advertisers saw the overwhelming response from children and decided to capitalize on it. As a part of Howdy Doody's campaign, children were urged to vote for their candidate in a form that was printed and distributed on the ends of Wonder Bread bags. Post Cereals put Howdy Doody for President rings in their cereal boxes.
At the end of the election, of course, Howdy Doody didn't win, but the results with him accounted for will surprise you. It was reported that Howdy Doody would have placed third in that year's election, behind Harry Truman and Thomas Dewey. Howdy Doody would have earned ten times the votes than the fourth presidential candidate, Henry Wallace.
Dayton Allen's Voice Talents
One man who was an integral part of The Howdy Doody Show was Dayton Allen. The comedic voice actor provided the voices for Phineas T. Bluster, Flub-a-Dub, and other puppets on the show. He got his start on radio and before working on Howdy Doody, spent five years on another children's program called Winky Dink and You.
If you ever thought his voice sounded familiar, then you wouldn't be wrong. He also provided the voice of cartoons Deputy Dawg, Heckle and Jeckle, and Luno, among others, throughout the '60s. He is perhaps best known for saying, "Why Not?" on NBC's The Steve Allen Show.
The Beginning Of Buffalo Bob
Although he is primarily known as Buffalo Bob Smith, little is known of his life before his famed puppet friend. Born Robert Emil Schmidt in Buffalo, New York, Smith got his start in entertainment working for the radio in Buffalo. He hosted morning radio shows after spots opened when NBC personality Jack Paar was drafted into the military.
While working for the radio, Smith hosted a number of shows as he worked to help get his network's shows in the number one spots in the nation. Although you could only hear the shows back then, Smith offered a colorful and entertaining show with his vocal talents as he was able to do many different voices.
Time For Howdy Doody
You'd be surprised to hear where exactly Howdy Doody gets his looks from. Apparently, he was based on a caricature of Buffalo Bob's real-life sister, Esther, whose likeness inspired the doll. The character developed soon after.
Smith told New York Daily News that Howdy was born on the Big Brother Bob radio show, saying "I did this Mortimer Snerd-ish character called Elmer, who said this: 'Ho, ho, ho, howdy doody!' When kids came in to see the show they were disappointed. They said, 'We want to see Howdy Doody.'" The demand for this puppet gave Smith an excellent idea and a perfect opportunity.
How They Sold The SHow
At the same time that Smith realized the kids wanted more Howdy Doody, NBC just happened to be looking for children's programming. He decided to pitch the idea of a marionette called Howdy Doody. Smith told New York Daily News, "We learned on Tuesday the 23rd [of December 1947] that we were going to be on the following Saturday. And we didn't have a Howdy!"
NBC was eager about the show and wanted Smith to start right away. The only problem was that he didn't have a puppet yet. That is why, as previously mentioned, he had to go three weeks without the Howdy Doody puppet, pretending that Howdy was in his desk and too shy to come out.
Wonder Bread Sponsored The Show
With so many children watching the show, advertisers and sponsors found the perfect opportunity to try to get parents to buy more of their products. Of course, Buffalo Bob wouldn't have any sponsor that had a negative effect on kids. "We were not an education show, but we always strived for parental approval. We would never take a client or advertiser whose product parents wouldn't want to buy for their kids," Smith told New York Daily News.
The sponsors included Wonder Bread, Hostess Twinkies and Cup Cakes, Colgate toothpaste, and Welch's grape juice, which Smith said is "One of the finest products I've ever been involved with. "
The Producer
The man who produced The Howdy Doody Show was E. Roger Muir, a television producer who helped provide some of the most watched shows throughout the Baby Boomer era. Having studied photography while a student at the University of Minnesota, Muir went on to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he worked in a film production unit.
After the war was over, Muir decided to enter the entertainment business, finding a job at NBC at the suggestion of a fellow soldier. In addition to producing The Howdy Doody Show, Muir also was behind shows such as Who Said That?, NBC Opera, The Wide, Wide World, and Your Hit Parade.
You Didn't Think This Show From The '50s Wouldn't Be Problematic, Did You?
But then again, it was the '50s. Another important character on the show was Chief Thunderthud, who was of the fictional Ooragnak tribe (which is just kangaroo spelled backward). With a Native American headdress and face paint, he would enter the show and say "Me, heap big chief, Thunderthud, need-um squaw." Chief Thunderthud is also credited with coining the term "Kowabunga."
This character was portrayed by actor Bill LeCornec, who also provided the voice for the puppet Dilly Dally on the show. With little information to be found of the actor, his only acting credits appear to be associated with Howdy Doody.
A Canadian Howdy Doody
Because The Howdy Doody Show became widely popular in the U.S., other countries began to integrate children's programming of their own as television entered homes all over the world. The producers of the American version of the show helped launch the Canadian version as well. On November 15, 1954, The Canadian Howdy Doody Show debuted and aired three times a week on CBC Television.
Because spin-off shows were just licensed from the original, they used local casts and duplicate puppets, creating their own version. Canada's Howdy Doody featured Timber Tom (instead of Buffalo Bob), played by James Doohan and later Peter Mews.
William Shatner Was The Canadian Bob
In comparison to its American counterpart, which had a Western theme, Canadian Howdy Doody had a Northern theme, taking place in the woods as opposed to the "wild wild West." Timber Tom often had to be played by different actors and at one point, William Shatner filled in as "Ranger Bob."
The Canadian version was also a lot less wild than the American one. With a more educational adaptation, the stories were tamer and their villains weren't quite as evil. Also, just as the American Howdy Doody inspired the Peanuts cartoons, Canadian Howdy Doody inspired another popular show.
Dr. Who And Howdy Doody
This seems a little far off, but you'd be surprised to learn that Dr. Who was inspired by Howdy Doody. Like the American version, the Canadian counterpart featured a puppet named Mr. X, although both puppets were totally unrelated. Canada's Mr. X traveled through time and space in his "Whatsis Box" to teach children about history.
Sound familiar? The concept was picked up by Sydney Newman who back then was head of programming at CBC and oversaw the production of Canada's Howdy Doody. Newman thus created Dr. Who, featuring an alien doctor who travels through time and space in his police box called TARDIS. Unfortunately for Mr. X, he didn't last long on Howdy Doody because parents thought he was too scary for kids.
Howdy Doody In Spanish
Just like our neighbors of the north, our neighbors down south had their own version of Howdy Doody as well. The Kagran Corporation helped produce the original Howdy Doody with NBC, so in March of 1953, they also worked to get a Spanish-language version of the show. Thus, La Hora de Jaudi Dudi was born. Unlike the Canadian version that featured a similar main puppet, Mexico's version had a freckle-less puppet named Don Burro.
The show was a hit for Spanish viewers and months later, it was extended to Cuba with plans to be distributed throughout Latin America.
Judy Tyler's Behavior
Princess Summerfall Winterspring was the character Judy Tyler played on Howdy Doody. On the show, the princess was a symbol of purity, but offstage, the princess had a foul mouth and enjoyed drinking. She also had a reputation for taking off her clothes and dancing on tables for the entertainment of her cast members.
She wasn't the only citizen of Doodyville to get a little crazy. During rehearsals, the cast would play with the puppets in odd ways which would confuse the children who were scheduled for random tours of the studio.
Bob Didn't Always Like The Kids
Back in the fifties commercials were live, so the children who were in the studio watching the show had to sit quietly while Bob worked through commercial breaks. Once during a Tootsie Rolls commercial, a little boy interrupted loudly to tell everyone he was allergic to chocolate. "I wanted to smack that kid," said Bob.
Another incident occurred when Bob was filming a commercial for Kellogg's Rice Krispies. Each time the camera would zoom in on the box of cereal in his hands, a little boy behind him would say "hello" and wave his hand right in front of the box. "When the commercial was over, I was so angry at this kid that I took the box and swung it around to the left—I just wanted to hit him in the face a little, to remind him not to do that anymore. As I did, he ducked, and the sweetest little girl got the box right in her face and got a bloody nose," said Bob.
