Historic Footage: ”Howdy Doody” – 3 November 1952

John J. Fedoozle & the Gang with Mitchell (Mitch) Miller and Orchestra. From the Golden 78, released in 1955.

Buffalo Bob, The Princess & the Gang with Mitchell (Mitch) Miller and Orchestra. From the Golden 78, released in 1955.

“Live” televisiion commercial for Welch’s Grape Jelly and Grapelade ( jam) from a 1954 episode of HOWDY DOODY. Welch’s began its association the iconic television show in 1951 and introduced its line of popular Howdy Doody jelly glasses — touted in this commercial — in 1953. In September, 1954, Buffalo Bob Smith suffered a heart attack and convalesced at his him. During his absence, guest hosts, inlcuding “Bison Bill” (New York disc jockey Ted Brown) filled in for Smith and Alan Swift provided the voice for Howdy Doody. Behind the Clarabell the Clown makeup Bobby Nicholson, who had replaced Bob Keeshan the previous year. Keeshan went on to greater fame as the star of CAPTAIN KANGAROO, one of television’s longest running children’s shows, debuting on October 3, 1955 and ending on December 8, 1984. Princess Summerfall-Winterspring is played here by Linda Marsh after Judy Tyler left the show in 1953. Ms. Tyler died in a car accident on July 4, 1957, shortly after completing JAILHOUSE ROCK with Elvis Presley. You can find out more about Welch’s products and history by visiting its website, www.welchs.com.

UPA cartoon with limited animation, bold design and autumnal palette directed by Gene Deitch

Allen Swift, born Ira Stadlen (1924 –2010) was a NY-based character and voice actor. Swift’s career began in 1947, and he was known as the voice of Simon Bar Sinister on the 1960′s Underdog cartoon series. From 1956 to 1960 he hosted The Popeye Show on WPIX-TV, as the old salt, Captain Allen. Here, he appears on The Howdy Doody Show in 1954 and 1955.

XmasFlix.com ► http The Howdy Doody Show ( tr.im ) was one of the first and easily the most popular children’s television show in the 1950s and a reflection of the wonder, technical fascination, and business realities associated with early television. While Howdy and his friends entertained American children, they also sold television sets to American parents and demonstrated the potential of the new medium to advertisers. The idea for Howdy Doody began on the NBC New York radio affiliate …

Classic Early Television closing credits for “Howdy Doody”, taken from a 1953 episode. A Kinescope Recording.

Howdy Doody Show 1950s

Howdy Doody, Buffalo Bob Smith and Clarabell the Clown extoll the mertits of Mars’ Three Musketeers candy bar to the members of the Peanut Gallery and the viewres at home in this “live” commercial from the mid 1950s. Three Musketeers was introduced in 1932 and was the third candy confection from the family-owned Mars, Inc., following Milky Way (1923) — orginally advertsed as a “chocolate malted milk in a candy bar” — and Snickers (1930), which was named after one of the Mars’ family’s …