Northern California's Wonderful Kiddie Hosts!!!

[pinkfloyd95209]

When Josh brought up HOCUS POCUS in another post, I thought it is time to bring up those WONDERFUL KIDDIE HOSTS of NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LOCAL TV. From the 1950's until the 1980's, The Bay Area had "PRINCESS PAT" (KRON-4), "MAYOR ART" (KRON-4), "HOCUS POCUS" (KNTV-11), "CAPTAIN SATELLITE" (KTVU-2), "BUCKAROO 5000" (KNTV-11), "CHARLEY AND HUMPHREY" (KGO-7 and KTVU-2), "CAPTAIN SAN FRANCISCO" (KBHK-44) and "CAPTAIN COSMIC" (aka Bob Wilkins-KTVU-2). Plus there was the voice of KFRC's "DOCTOR DON ROSE" on KBHK-44. In the SACRAMENTO/STOCKTON area, There was "CAPTAIN SACTO" (aka Harry Martin-KCRA-3), "SKIPPER STU" (KCRA-3), "BOSUN BILL" (KCRA-3), "DIVER DAN" (KXTV-10), "CAPTAIN DELTA" (KOVR-13) and "CAP'N MITCH" ARGUSS(KLOC-19 and KTXL-40) who also played Captain Delta at KOVR from 1961-66. I am sure I am missing others which I hope all of you will fill in the blanks. I know JIM GABBERT's KOFY-TV 20 had a CARTOON HOST but I don't know the name? but did KEMO-20 (During The Overmeyer Era 1968-71) ever have a CARTOON HOST? Oh, I almost forgot but LEON CROSBY's KEMO had "BOZO THE CLOWN" show but I believe that show was syndicated and not Local?

[Josh R]

Doctor Don Rose...there's a name I've not heard in a while. I remember him from Ch44, but probably heard him on the radio too.

Another for the "where are they now" file!

-Josh

[pinkfloyd95209]

Doctor Don Rose...there's a name I've not heard in a while. I remember him from Ch44, but probably heard him on the radio too.

Another for the "where are they now" file!

-Josh

Unfortunately, DOCTOR DON passed away back in 2005. He was born on JULY 5, 1934 and died on MARCH 30, 2005. He died in his sleep of pneumonia at age 70.

[UHF Nocturne]

I turned 10 in 1965. Most of my kid show viewing took place before that. By 10, a couple of years of Chillers From Science Fiction after school on KGO, plus seeing GOLDFINGER at the drive-in, had long since made me an SF/horror/spy fan & the closest I got to kids shows after that was Batman on network. (Unless you count Warner Bros. cartoons, which I don't...)

The local kids shows I watched were Captain Satellite, Mayor Art, Bozo The Clown, and Brother Buzz.

I also remember one on KQED which was an educational show which would open with the host drawing a school building on a huge piece of butcher paper, then inviting the audience to consider it a rocketship while adding speed lines and exhaust to the drawing - a rocket to the exciting universe of learning! I can't recall the name of the show, host, or topic.

My very earliest local kids' show memory is of the localized Romper Room. I had to have been no older than 6 at the time. The local Miss Nancy of that era was later notoriously known for being married in a nude wedding when a hippy commune existed at Rancho Olompali just north of Novato in the late 60s.

I remember seeing the Sacramento hosts while channel surfing when I was older, but they weren't my crop of kid shows. Capt. Delta seemed like he'd been on forever, though. He had a very distinctive, precise way of speaking, and a soft, friendly voice like Captain Kangaroo. For some reason he also sort of creeped me out, but I couldn't say why thinking about it now.

I also remember watching Mr. Rogers with my brother when he was very young & I was already in my late teens. I had and still have the highest respect for Fred Rogers, who strikes me as having been a singularly decent human being in every way.

- Lon

[Tim]

I remember a guy on PBS in the early 80s who wore a space suit and taught kids how to draw. He was out of the old mold kids show hosts and could have fit right in with a cartoon show. I actually met him on a northern Califfornia school tour and talked to him about his work, since I was an artist myself and had worked in schools by that point- he was super positive and wanted to pump me up too. Nice guy. So I just googled some of the above words and found him! His name is Mark Kistler....

"The Secret City" with Commander Mark 'Drawing in 3D'

http://www.poetv.com/video.php?vid=45374

http://www.squidoo.com/secretcity

http://www.drawsquad.com/

You can see in the comments on these pages he influenced a lot of kids who no doubt got involved in art and architecture and who knows what else. So good for him, that was clearly his goal.

[UHF Nocturne]

I've started paging through the TV Guides from 1967 forward looking for, among other things, kid's show ads. Here's one for Hocus Pocus from the week of July 7, 1969. The 30 minute show was on at 9am at that time, and was called Hocus Pocus Clubhouse. Perhaps it was only on at that hour when school was out for the summer, otherwise I'm guessing it was aimed at preschoolers. I definitely remember seeing Hocus Pocus on TV, but most likely only while channel surfing as I would have been too old for the show by that time.

690726-A058-KNTV11_HocusPocusAd.jpg (86.55 KiB) Viewed 238 times

And, if you think it's a bit unsettling that they advertised a TV show as a "free babysitter..." well, I agree.

- Lon

[pinkfloyd95209]

Lee, You are right about that ad. It is chilling. Makes me think of JOHN WAYNE GACY.

[Tim]

Creepy now for sure, but of course from a more innocent time. So much has changed.

[UHF Nocturne]

What creeped me out wasn't so much the Gacy/sinister clown thing - though I certainly see that aspect - but the "TV can babysit your kids" idea.

- Lon

[Loucifer]

I know JIM GABBERT's KOFY-TV 20 had a CARTOON HOST but I don't know the name?

I remember "Cartoon Classics" on KOFY. It was originally hosted by "Maestro" Dick Bright, then it eventually went to a no-host/no-studio audience format.