Howdy Doody time

August 1, 2008 by 18 Comments

Perhaps one of you readers is as old as I am–that is to say, really, really old–so that you too could get a nostaligic buzz out of this memory of the Howdy Doody Show, an account of someone who actually got to sit in the Peanut Gallery. I’m telling you, THAT was children’s TV.

Filed Under: television 18 Comments
About Gene Veith

I am a retired English professor and college administrator. I have written over 20 books on different facets of Christianity & Culture.

  • http://www.brandywinebooks.net Lars Walker

    I loved Howdy Doody too. Never got anywhere near the Peanut Gallery, of course, but I like to think I would have been a little less cynical and supercilious than the writer of that article.

    And Clarabell probably wasn’t allowed to talk to the kids. The concept was that he was mute. If he’d spoken, this writer would have probably said, “See! I told you they were all fakes!”

  • http://www.brandywinebooks.net Lars Walker

    I loved Howdy Doody too. Never got anywhere near the Peanut Gallery, of course, but I like to think I would have been a little less cynical and supercilious than the writer of that article.

    And Clarabell probably wasn’t allowed to talk to the kids. The concept was that he was mute. If he’d spoken, this writer would have probably said, “See! I told you they were all fakes!”

  • Susan aka organshoes

    That article was just silly self-indulgence. Another baby-boomer whines.
    I remember liking Howdy Doody, but I recall nothing specific about a single episode.
    In fact, I recall the test pattern in more detail and with more fondness. We watched it too, in great hopes for what was to come.
    Truly, I wish the test pattern–the sign of TV downtime–were still a fact of daily life. TV needs to give itself a rest now and then, and we could all use a stationary symbol upon which to focus for awhile. (Though I doubt political correctness would allow that Indian chief with headdress image. But I loved it.)

  • Susan aka organshoes

    That article was just silly self-indulgence. Another baby-boomer whines.
    I remember liking Howdy Doody, but I recall nothing specific about a single episode.
    In fact, I recall the test pattern in more detail and with more fondness. We watched it too, in great hopes for what was to come.
    Truly, I wish the test pattern–the sign of TV downtime–were still a fact of daily life. TV needs to give itself a rest now and then, and we could all use a stationary symbol upon which to focus for awhile. (Though I doubt political correctness would allow that Indian chief with headdress image. But I loved it.)

  • Carl Vehse

    “We watched our toes wiggling in the fluoroscope because we could”

    Yes, I remember doing that!

    “I think we toured the Empire State Building that day. On the way up to the observation deck I asked the elevator operator how he liked his job. He said: “It has its ups and downs.”

    “People in the elevator laughed, all but me. For one thing, it took me a while to get the joke, and the fact that it was on me. Even at 7, I didn’t like being anybody’s straight man. I knew, too, that I could only blame my unfounded pride in being a boy who asked extremely intelligent questions.”

    And who some day would grow up to write a hatchet job on “Howdy Doody.” For shame.

    I hope he doesn’t write about the Pinky Lee Show.

  • Carl Vehse

    “We watched our toes wiggling in the fluoroscope because we could”

    Yes, I remember doing that!

    “I think we toured the Empire State Building that day. On the way up to the observation deck I asked the elevator operator how he liked his job. He said: “It has its ups and downs.”

    “People in the elevator laughed, all but me. For one thing, it took me a while to get the joke, and the fact that it was on me. Even at 7, I didn’t like being anybody’s straight man. I knew, too, that I could only blame my unfounded pride in being a boy who asked extremely intelligent questions.”

    And who some day would grow up to write a hatchet job on “Howdy Doody.” For shame.

    I hope he doesn’t write about the Pinky Lee Show.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17639370291865261582 Cindy Ramos

    What’s a test pattern?

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17639370291865261582 Cindy Ramos

    What’s a test pattern?

  • Susan aka organshoes

    Per Cindy Ramos @#4:
    I rest my case.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YItzIf6DgE0&NR=1
    Some samples.
    Those were the days…well, that’s certainly debatable, isn’t it?

  • Susan aka organshoes

    Per Cindy Ramos @#4:
    I rest my case.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YItzIf6DgE0&NR=1
    Some samples.
    Those were the days…well, that’s certainly debatable, isn’t it?

  • http://www.brandywinebooks.net Lars Walker

    I was never a fan of Cheech & Chong, but a friend once played me one of their routines off a record, where one bit of dialogue went like this:

    “Whatcha watchin’ on TV?”

    “Some show about Indians. But it’s really boring.”

  • http://www.brandywinebooks.net Lars Walker

    I was never a fan of Cheech & Chong, but a friend once played me one of their routines off a record, where one bit of dialogue went like this:

    “Whatcha watchin’ on TV?”

    “Some show about Indians. But it’s really boring.”

  • tODD’S dAD

    I was never a big fan of the show, but growing up on Long Island, I went to many Walther League conferences for Lutheran youth. At one conference, Buffalo Bob Smith spoke to the youth. He was a Lutheran also. I learned later on that he also played the organ on Sunday at a local Lutheran Church.

  • tODD’S dAD

    I was never a big fan of the show, but growing up on Long Island, I went to many Walther League conferences for Lutheran youth. At one conference, Buffalo Bob Smith spoke to the youth. He was a Lutheran also. I learned later on that he also played the organ on Sunday at a local Lutheran Church.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17639370291865261582 Cindy Ramos

    Susan (#5), thanks for the sample of a test pattern. The things one can learn about on this blog! I have no recollection of ever seeing such a thing. But I do remember when we had to get up, walk over to the television, and turn a dial to change the channel.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17639370291865261582 Cindy Ramos

    Susan (#5), thanks for the sample of a test pattern. The things one can learn about on this blog! I have no recollection of ever seeing such a thing. But I do remember when we had to get up, walk over to the television, and turn a dial to change the channel.

  • Carl Vehse

    You want ancient history?!?

    When I was a child, my family had a technician make house calls to replace bad vacuum tubes in the TV set. Later as a teen, I would just pull a bunch of tubes and take them down to Radio Shack and check them on the tube-tester.

    Nowadays, if the TV goes bad, you toss it in the trashcan and go buy another one.

    In the future, I suspect we’ll do the same for automobiles. If only we could do it for politicians.

  • Carl Vehse

    You want ancient history?!?

    When I was a child, my family had a technician make house calls to replace bad vacuum tubes in the TV set. Later as a teen, I would just pull a bunch of tubes and take them down to Radio Shack and check them on the tube-tester.

    Nowadays, if the TV goes bad, you toss it in the trashcan and go buy another one.

    In the future, I suspect we’ll do the same for automobiles. If only we could do it for politicians.