Saturday Morning TV

"Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!" was the call sign for this show with Andy Devine (Jingle in the Wild Bill Hickcock Show). Versions of this show began in 1950. Devine took over the television program when Ed McConnell died suddenly from a heart attack in 1954. He inherited a number of the characters on the earlier show and the sponsor, Buster Brown shoes. I always wondered why they let those kids in the audience jump in their chairs.

Scientist Captain Z-Ro, had a time machine, the ZX-99, both to view history and to send someone back in time. Over the years, plots involved Z-Ro and his teenage assitant, Jet, rescuing a wide range of historical figures, including Genghis Khan, Marco Polo, Magellan, William the Conqueror, and Daniel Boone. This program was highly regarded for its outstanding educational value for its history lesson.

With Miss Frances. The show was broadcast live, and at one point was the most popular TV series aimed at pre-schoolers.

As agents of the Galactic Bureau of Investigation, the team travels the galaxy in their ship the Sky Flash, battling cosmic villains under the order of Commander Paul Richards. This series was filmed in West Germany.

With Buffalo Bob Smith, this show was a pioneer in children's programming and set the pattern for many similar shows. It was also a pioneer in early color production as NBC (at the time owned by TV maker RCA) used the show in part to sell color television sets in the 1950s.

Fran was Fran Allison a radio comedienne and singer who was usually the only human to appear on screen, filling the role of big sister and cheery voice of reason as the puppets engaged each other concerning their foibles. This show was alway unrehearsed and unscripted. Who'd a thunk?

This one of the earlier episodes with Tommy Rettig and Jan Clayton. Except in reruns this show was never a Saturday morning show, but rather a Sunday evening show where the classic saying "What's the matter girl, did Timmy fall in the well? began.

"Out of the clear blue of the Western sky comes . . . Sky King!" This was Kathi's favorite show and Sky's teenage niece Penny was her favorite cast member. Tell me, does Penny really look like a teenager?

A popular show featuring circus acts. Band leader Mary Hartine (an obviously natural blonde) is credited with some of this shows popularity as Father's also watched with their children

O'Henry's, Robin Hood of the Old West. Cisco with his side kick Pancho was one of my favorites. "Oh, Pancho!" "Oh, Cisco!" And if you want to win a map at a Calif. State Park Campfire remmeber that Leo Carillo played Pancho and had a State Beach named after him.

Paul the ventriliquist with Jerry Mahoney and Knuckle Head, the dummies, got their start on Circus Time. The show was produced at KTTV in Los Angeles, which was owned by Metromedia. In 1986, Winchell sued Metromedia (which by then was about to be purchased by Fox Television Stations as the foundation for the new Fox Network) over syndication rights to 288 surviving videotapes of the show. Metromedia responded by destroying the tapes. Subsequently, a jury awarded Winchell $17.8 million.

The show was performed live in front of a studio audience of school children, who were also active participants. They joined in singing the theme song proclaiming "Who is the boy, who is full of zip and joy? He's Rootie Kazootie!" at the beginning of each show. A regular feature was the "Quiz-a-Rootie" in which audience members received prizes for answering simple questions. The creator of the Club also produced and created a number of Game Shows including the $64,000 Question.

This series that broadcasted 100 episodes on NBC. The show starred Roy Rogers as a ranch owner, Dale Evans as the proprietor of the Eureka Cafe in fictional Mineral City, and Pat Brady as Roy’s sidekick and Dale's cook. Brady's jeep, Nellybelle, had a mind of her own and often sped away driverless with Brady in frantic pursuit on foot. Animal stars were Roy's Palomino horse, Trigger and his German Shepherd wonder dog, Bullet. Will the bad guys throw their guns after they run out of bullets?

Developed and hosted by Bob Clampett. Beany & Cecil although a more familiar name, was the cartoon developed later. Albert Einstein was a fan of the show. On one occasion, the physicist interrupted a high-level conference by announcing, "You will have to excuse me, gentlemen. It's Time for Beany." Musician and composer Frank Zappa was also a fan.

Praised by Microsoft mogul Bill Gates as "the first interactive TV show," the show's central gimmick was the use of a "magic drawing screen", which was a large piece of vinyl plastic which stuck to the television screen via static electricity. A kit containing the screen and various Winky Dink crayons could be purchased for 50 cents. At a climactic scene in every Winky Dink short, Winky would arrive upon a scene which contained a connect the dots picture. He would then prompt the children at home to complete the picture, and the finished result would help him continue the story. Host Jack Barry is also remembered for Hosting Juvenile Jury (see below), The Joker's Wild and the infamous game show fix scandal: Twenty-One.