Johnny Gilman sends in this image of a vintage TV cast:
"Who knows who this is ? Here's a teaser ...Name his sidekicks....no web look ups , please! It's Claude Kirchner - 'Super Circus' -- ABC in Chicargo 1949-1955. Later named 'Terry-Toon Circus' when it went to WOR-TV in N.Y. in 1955. Left to right: Mary Hartline, Claude, Cliffy, Scampy & Nicky."
Sorry, John. That photo mesmerized me, and I guess I didn't know what I was doing. However, let's see if anyone knows the name of the puppet sidekick Claude employed at WOR.
John, I believe you're speaking of the immortal hand puppet Clownie,Claudes best friend in the whole world. When Claude died some years ago Howard Stern did a tribute to Claude Kirschner the worlds worst ventriliquist.I hope that this answer satisfies your interest in really bad television shows.
John, you'll have to sit down with my brother-in-law Frank and yours truly as we are also fans of really bad tv shows. While we may never achieve your lofty status as the obvious king of this genre, it would still be fun.
That's from a line in a famous movie (I know this was supposed to be Fun with TEE VEE but...)
The line was "Quite the antithesis, he's quite anemic"
Cuthbert Twillie was answering the question: "Is that a full-blooded Indian?" posed by Mrs. Gideon (played by Margaret Hamilton (WWW))
For twenty points, or a drink at the Christmas Party, who played Cuthbert Twillie and what was the movie?
(JC, you're obviously disqualified from this one)
JE,
You get a free drink at the Christmas Party (See Davis)
W.C. held the world's record for juggling eleven cigar boxes. Do you know his epitaph? (careful, there are a couple of false versions floating around)
How come I can picture little Johnny C
with six gun holsters at his side and
sitting in the front row of "Andy's Gang".
And poor Jimbo was probably left home.
My sister and I also attended when we lived on heller parkway, sometime between 1950 and 1956. Uncle Fred also moonlighted as a college basketball announcer. Channel 13 did many local college basketball games in the mid 1950's.
Dave,
Wow, in this You Tube link, Claude Kirshner was ringmaster of a real circus. All I remember was a show with a cheap set that introduced cartoons (Cartoon Circus?) where Claude Kirshner would get insulted by his hand puppet.
Bobby, wasn't the newer version called Terry Toon Circus.
I recall a little clowny hand puppet breaking through a paper circle and insulting Claude Kirschner. Even while I was no more than probably five at the time, I thought the clown puppet was a jerk.
Actual circus acts under a fake big tent with a real ringmaster; Jack Sterling. Mary Hartline was a real champion majorette and Joe Basile "Mr. five by five" led the 15 piece Big top Circus band. There was always a circus parade with hundreds of kids marching behind a 65 piece string band. Ed McMahon was the clown and muscle man Dan Laurie played the circus muscle man. Noon to one every Saturday on channel 2.
Did you know that Tony Parisi's cousin once dated mr. Greenjeans' son. I once worked for a man married to the second Princess summer Fall winter spring Mary Duffy.
