Won't You Be My New Neighbor

I was watching History Detectives reruns today and noticed an ad on the side for a new show called Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. What really drew me to the ad was the font.  It is the same font that was used for Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

I decided to check the show out and learned that it is an animated spin off featuring Daniel Tiger, son of Daniel Striped Tiger.  Other characters from Make-Believe will appear all grown older.

Like many my age and older, I have a love for Mr. Rogers. We even discussed him in one of my media classes because of his efforts to get VHS promoted over BETA for home use. He wanted parents to be able to record his show, and other educational programs, to watch together with their children.

(I found a video on youTube a while back showing Fred Rogers speaking about VHS, but it's no longer up. I'll try to find it again.)

I'm so thankful from Fred Rogers and all the work he did for educational and public television. He was a very upstanding and honorable person. I can't imagine the world without Fred Rogers and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

History Detectives

About a month ago I was flipping through the channels on a Monday evening and landed on OETA.  The show was History Detectives.  Each show has 2-4 segments and each one is about a historical object.  Can be an antique musket, a painting, book, or even a Ronald McDonald costume. 


(photo source)
It happened to be the Ronald McDonald story that caught my attention.  I had recently read the book The Man Behind the Nose.  The [auto]biography of Larry Harmon, the man who made Bozo and every modern clown what they are today.  I knew little to nothing about Bozo or Larry when I started the book...but now I love him!  The book was one of the most interesting and well written books I've read in a long time.


Larry started the Bozo television show then franchised Bozo so each television station would have a local Bozo actor.  One of the actors, Willard Scott (who went on to be a Today Show weatherman), used Bozo as the inspiration for the character of Ronald McDonald. 

Ok, back to History Detectives...a lady had a Ronald McDonald costume and thought it might be the original.  The episode followed show researchers as they tracked down clues and information about the costume.  It ended up not being the original, but it was the first Ronald McDonald costume created for national production and for someone other then Willard. 














(photo source)


If you've never seen History Detectives you need to check your local PBS listings!

Television Time Capsules

In case you're wondering... no, I haven't forgotten about this blog.  I've been busy with work, life, Whitney Sews, and other things. 

This afternoon I was watching the Lawrence Welk Show on OETA like I do every week.  I love how the show is a time capsule of fashion, music, beauty, and etiquette!  I don't think there is a single modern show that can be compared to the Lawrence Welk show in any way.

Another show I used to watch every week was the Ed Sullivan Show.  The reruns came on every Saturday night after Lawrence Welk for several years.  It exposed me to tons of singers, bands, comedians, and acts from the past.  The show hasn't been aired on OETA in the past few years, so I was excited when I saw a promo last week for AugustFest. They are bringing Ed Sullivan back, at least for Festival! 

Pearl Carter Scott

I just finished watching a movie on OETA called Pearl.  It's about an Oklahoma native Chickasaw woman who became the youngest licensed pilot in the United States of America in 1928. 

Pearl's father went blind as a young man so at the young age of eleven Pearl learned to drive and would drive her father around for business.  Pearl and her family met Wiley Post in the late '20s (Wiley is a one-eyed pilot who immediately took a liking to Pearl and her father).  After a couple of flights with Wiley, Pearl was determined that the sky is where she wanted and needed to be. 

The film was produced by the Chickasaw nation (their first full length film...and a really good one at that!).  It was released at festivals and short theatre runs in 2010.  Tonight was it's television premier.  You should definitely watch Pearl if you get the chance.  If you live in Oklahoma you can tune in on June 17th at 11:30 p.m. to see the film.

I just reserved a copy of the book Never Give Up: The Life of Pearl Carter Scott from the library.  So I'm sure I'll be writing more about Mrs. Scott in the future.

Norma

Ever wondered about the singers and actors you hear in old cartoons?

Champagne Lady Norma Zimmer from the Lawrence Welk Show provided the singing voice for the White Rose in Disney’s 1951 release of Alice in Wonderland.

Norma had a successful career including a small role in a Bing Crosby film, but was most remembered for her 22 years on the Lawrence Welk Show.

 

As a Lawrence Welk fan I was sad to hear that Norma passed away on May 10, 2011, at the age of 87. I had the pleasure of meeting

Norma at a Lawrence Welk reunion show in 2004. I picked up her biography simply titled Norma a while back and have been meaning to read it.

By the way, I wrote my high school senior paper about Lawrence Welk…chose the topic willingly after years of watching reruns on OETA and attending the reunion show. I got to interview Welk star Tom Netherton for the paper- my first and most memorable interview!

I’m sure I’ll cover more Lawrence Welk topics along my history journey :)