Good grief. You mean some of us actually watched this? The Rootie Kazootie Club? Yoish.
Well, it was the early days of television, early 1950s, and we still had a lot to learn about just how low it could go. This is a 15-minute clip, the shortest one I could find; but I think after two or three minutes you’ll get the feel of it.
A lot of these prehistoric kids’ shows had live studio audiences who were expected to sing the theme song, applaud and laugh (on cue, I suspect), and look happy. Some of them don’t look all that happy.
I’m too young to remember it well–the show ran from 1950 to 1954, so I was only five years old when it stopped–but I do remember it a little. I must say there’s something about it that I find kind of creepy. Are they, like, Stepford Kids in the audience? What would you find if you looked under Rootie’s hat?
But I’m giving myself the willies, so I’d better stop.
I never saw this one. I was still working full time, and had no kids back then.
I never saw this one. I was still working full time, and had no kids back then.
I really can’t imagine an adult choosing to watch this.
I made it to 1:38 and they had already checked off two boxes, the baseball angle and the cowboy angle. TV was new at the time and I think that they didn’t really know what would work and what wouldn’t. This seems harmless enough, but a bit forced. Some of those kids in the audience looked as if they would rather be someplace else, anyplace else. 🙂
Too bad more of the Sandy Becker shows were never preserved. That struck me as being more intelligent and of higher quality.
Sandy came along a little later–and he was the best.
I don’t remember that one, but I do remember the “Howdy Doody Show.” This clip reminded me of the “Soupy Sales Show.” My friends and I would rush home after school to watch Soupy get sassy. I am currently reading a Terry Kay book set in 1947. He talks about the kids reading the Grit” newspaper – remember that one?
Sure–they were always advertising “Sell Grit” in the inside back covers of comic books.