Original subtitles

Narrator: IN TV'S PIONEERING DECADES,

NEARLY EVERY TOWN WITH A TV STATION

HAD ITS OWN LOCAL KIDS' PROGRAM.

McCann: HE MADE THOSE PUPPETS LIVE.

THEY WERE ALIVE.

KIDS ARE REALLY SHARP.

THEY WANT TO LAUGH, AND IF IT'S FUNNY, IT'S FUNNY.

Woman: THERE WAS A FORMULA.

IT WAS A SUCCESSFUL FORMULA.

SOME OF US ARE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.

SOME OF US ARE UGLY, AND WE LIKE IT THAT WAY.

IT WAS KIND OF LIKE THAT CLOWN ON "THE SIMPSONS,"

ONLY THIS WAS BEFORE "THE SIMPSONS."

WHEN YOU SEE BOZO ON TV, HE'S THAT BIG, AND THEN WHEN YOU

SAW HIM IN LIFE, HE WAS ME.

Rogers: AND I THOUGHT, "THIS COULD BE

A WONDERFUL TOOL FOR EDUCATION."

Narrator: TOGETHER, THEY CREATED A NEW FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT...

LOCAL TV FOR CHILDREN.

THEY ARE THE PIONEERS OF TELEVISION.

Man: HOW DO YOU FEEL?

GOOD! GOOD! GOOD!

"BOZO'S CIRCUS" IS ON THE AIR!

Narrator: THEY CREATED THE CHARACTERS

THAT SHAPED OUR CHILDHOODS.

Ringmaster: WITH BOZO, THE WORLD'S GREATEST CLOWN!

HEY, BOYS AND GIRLS, IT'S BOZO!

LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO A FRIEND OF MINE.

HERE'S KERMIT.

HI, THERE.

Narrator: GIVEN A BLANK SLATE, THEY CREATED SOME OF

TELEVISION'S MOST INVENTIVE PROGRAMS.

BUT YOU'RE NOT AS UGLY AS YOU LOOK.

OH, THANKS.

HEH-HEH.

MY MOTTO WAS, "DON'T DO WHAT ANYBODY ELSE IS DOING."

Narrator: THEY ENDURED THE CHALLENGES

OF LOW BUDGETS AND IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS.

I WENT TO THE SALVATION ARMY

AND I PULLED ALL MY COSTUMES OUT OF THERE.

IT WASN'T THAT COMPLICATED IN THOSE DAYS.

ALL YOU... YOU DID... WHAT YOU SAW IS WHAT YOU GOT.

DOING A KIDS' SHOW IS... I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT TO BE

ON TOP OF YOUR GAME AND YOU HAVE TO REALLY

KEEP UP WITH THE KIDS, BECAUSE THEY'LL TAKE OVER.

ONE OF THE LITTLE BOYS WAS KIND OF ACTING UP,

AND I HAVE TO THROW THIS IN...

I DON'T BELIEVE IT WAS LEONARDO DiCAPRlO.

HE CLAIMS THAT HE WAS KICKED OFF THE SHOW,

BUT WE NEVER DID THAT.

I WAS PLAYING THE BAD GUY, YOU KNOW?

AND THE KIDS DIDN'T LIKE IT, AND WHEN I CAME BY,

THEY THREW STONES AT ME, I SWEAR TO GOODNESS.

I HAD TO RUN FOR MY LIFE!

Narrator: THEY FORGED A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AUDIENCE

UNLIKE ANYTHING TELEVISION HAS EVER SEEN.

Woman: I LOVED IT.

I WOULD HAVE DONE IT FOR NOTHING,

AND THEY PAID ME.

IT WAS SUCH A JOY, SINCERELY SO.

I WAS BLESSED TO BE RIGHT PLACED AT THE RIGHT TIME.

WHEE!

THIS SMALL PIECE OF RUBBER

FILLED WITH HELIUM

IS NOT THE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD FOR A KING

TO HAVE FLOATING AROUND HIS NOSE.

Rogers: I'D JUST LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED

FOR BEING A COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEING

WHO HAPPENED TO BE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE BORN AT A TIME

WHEN THERE WAS THIS FABULOUS THING CALLED TELEVISION.

Narrator: IN TIME, THEIR EFFORTS WOULD GIVE RISE

TO THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S SHOWS WE ENJOY TODAY,

BUT THE FOUNDATION WAS LAID

AT LOCAL STATIONS ACROSS AMERICA.

WELL, I FINALLY MADE IT.

I'VE GOT MY LOUNGING... MY LOUNGING OUTFIT ON HERE.

THIS IS THE ONE I'M GOING TO LOUNGE AROUND WITH.

Narrator: IN THE 1950s AND '60s,

LOCAL KIDS' SHOWS REFLECTED THE COMMUNITY

IN A WAY NO NATIONAL SHOW EVER COULD.

YOU KNOW, YOU CAN GO AND SEE HAZEL

OVER AT 909 WEST LAKE STREET.

THAT'S THE UPTOWN PET HOTEL, AND SHE'S THERE ALL THE TIME,

AIN'T YOU, HAZEL?

COME RIGHT IN HERE.

SHE'S SO GENTLE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN PUT YOUR WHOLE HAND

RIGHT IN HER MOUTH AND SHE DON'T BITE IT OFF OR NOTHING.

AT LEAST NOT YET!

I'VE HEARD PEOPLE ALL OVER CHICAGOLAND

TRYING TO GET TICKETS TO THE WORLD SERIES.

HOW IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU TWO SHOW UP WITH TWO TICKETS

TO TOMORROW'S WORLD SERIES GAME?

THIS IS GOING TO BE SOME LITTLE

DUTCH GIRLS.

OH, GEE, THAT'S NEAT!

I'D LOVE TO SEE SOME DUTCH CHILDREN!

OH, WELL, TERRY, YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE

FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD RIGHT HERE.

DUTCHMEN AND FRENCHMEN AND PEOPLE FROM INDIA OR IRAN.

WHERE SHOULD I LOOK FOR THEM?

WELL, THE UNITED NATIONS BUILDING

RIGHT HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.

IT'S A WONDERFUL PLACE TO VISIT, TOO.

WE DON'T? NO, WE DON'T.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET THROUGH A LOT OF MAIL? YEAH, LET'S GO.

ALL RIGHTY-ROW, RAY.

FROM YOUR FRIEND JOEY, HOW ABOUT THAT?

♪ JOEY, JOEY, JOEY ♪

JOEY IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GOOD TOWN, CHICAGO.

Narrator: PERSONALITIES LIKE RAY RAYNER IN CHICAGO

WERE BELOVED, ALMOST LIKE A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY.

THEY READ KIDS' LETTERS,

SHOWCASED STUDENT ART...

HERE YOU GO.

HE LIKES TO JUMP UP.

Narrator: GOOFED AROUND WITH ANIMALS,

AND OFFERED ALL-IMPORTANT INFORMATION

ABOUT SCHOOL CLOSINGS

ON SNOWY DAYS.

IT WAS A TIME WHEN KIDS' SHOWS DIDN'T

HAVE TO BE FAST-PACED TO HOLD A YOUNG PERSON'S ATTENTION.

I ASSUME I TAKE THIS THING OFF FIRST,

BECAUSE MY FIRST STEP IS TO "CUT MESH IN HALF LENGTHWISE."

Man: WOULD THE BACK ROW STAND UP?

HI, EVERYBODY IN THE BACK ROW.

I'M CERTAINLY GLAD TO SEE YOU.

Narrator: FOR A GENERATION OF AMERICANS,

THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY JOIN THE STUDIO AUDIENCE

OF THEIR FAVORITE SHOW REMAINS A CHERISHED MEMORY.

King: BECAUSE ONCE THEY SEE YOU

AND KNOW YOU'RE REAL, YOU HAVE THEM FOREVER.

YOU'RE NOT JUST SOMEBODY IN THIS LITTLE BOX.

YOU WOULD WRITE AWAY TO GET TICKETS SIX MONTHS IN ADVANCE

AND THEN YOUR MOTHER WOULD DRESS YOU UP

AND THE NEIGHBORS WOULD GET IN THE CAR,

STATION WAGONS THEN,

AND THEY WOULD ALL SHOW UP AT THE STUDIO

AND THEY HAD TO WAIT IN LINE TO GET IN

AND THEY HAD LITTLE SEATS TO SIT...

IT WAS A TV SHOW THAT THE KIDS COULD VISIT

AND THEN GO HOME AND WATCH.

WE WERE LIVE, BUT THEY COULD WATCH THE SHOW DURING THE WEEK.

AND THAT WAS AN AWFUL LOT OF FUN.

SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

Narrator: FUN IT WAS,

AND NO CITY IN AMERICA HAD MORE FUN

FOR A LONGER TIME THAN PHOENIX, ARIZONA.

ALL RIGHT, WHY DON'T YOU DEMONSTRATE FOR US NOW

THE WAY YOU FIGHT, THE WAY YOU...

Narrator: THIS PHOENIX KIDS' PROGRAM

CALLED "WALLACE AND LADMO" RANKS AMONG

THE MOST POPULAR LOCAL CHILDREN'S SHOWS

IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN TELEVISION,

BEATING THE COMPETITION FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS,

A SHOW THAT WASN'T AFRAID TO LAMPOON ANYTHING.

NOW TRYING TO ATTACK THE FRAME AND FACE HERE.

OKAY.

CRASH... YOU CRASH SOMETIMES,

AND A LITTLE KICK.

YOU'RE TOUGH, YOU ARE TOUGH.

Thompson: IT WAS A FUN JOB.

YEAH, I CAN'T THING OF ANYTHING CONNECTED TO IT

THAT I DIDN'T LIKE.

OH, OUR SALARIES.

THAT'S THE ONLY THING.

THOSE CHEAPSKATES DOWN THERE AT CHANNEL 5.

THEY WEREN'T TRYING TO TEACH US ANYTHING,

THEY WEREN'T TRYING TO GIVE US ANY MORALS

OR PRESENT ANY LESSONS, THEY WERE JUST...

IT WAS JUST FOR LAUGHS.

Narrator: THE SERIES BEGAN

IN 1954 WITH JUST WALLACE DOING BITS BY HIMSELF.

AH! AAAAH!

GLAD TO SEE YOU, WHERE'VE YOU BEEN?

Narrator: WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, WALLACE ADDED A SIDEKICK,

LADIMIR KWIATKOWSKI...

LADMO. LADMO...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

WITH AN OCTOPUS. OH.

WHOSE CHILDLIKE PERSONA MADE HIM AN INSTANT HIT.

GLAD TO SEE YOU, HELLO, THERE.

THE SHOW HIT FULL STRIDE IN 1960 WHEN A YOUNG PAT McMAHON

TUNED IN "WALLACE AND LADMO" FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

McMahon: AND MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS,

"OH, NOT ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE LOCAL KIDS' SHOWS

"WHERE SOMEBODY IN THE SALES DEPARTMENT

"HAS A SOCK ON HIS HAND, 'HELLO, BOYS AND GIRLS, '

AND TELLS EVERYBODY ABOUT DENTAL HEALTH."

I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT SEALTEST ICE CREAM.

Narrator: BUT THEN McMAHON SAW

WALLACE AND LADMO DO SOMETHING COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED...

THEY RIDICULED THEIR SPONSOR.

GOOD, NOT GREAT, BUT GOOD, YEAH.

WALLACE WOULD SOMETIMES KIND OF MAKE FUN OF THE PRODUCT,

OR HE'D TRY AND DROP-KICK IT SOMEWHERE OR SOMETHING,

AND EVEN AS A LITTLE KID, YOU KNEW,

"THAT'S JUST NOT RIGHT.

YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT."

REALLY APPRECIATE YOU INVITING ME ON,

BECAUSE I HAVE A HOBBY THAT IS THE HOBBY OF KINGS.

I AM A PHILATELIST.

TO ASK WHAT THAT IS. I COLLECT PHILATS.

Narrator: SOON PAT McMAHON TALKED HIS WAY ONTO THE SHOW,

AND HE NEVER LEFT.

OVER THE DECADES, WALLACE WOULD CREATE DOZENS

OF FUNNY AND IRREVERENT CHARACTERS,

AND PAT McMAHON WOULD BRING THEM TO LIFE.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR SOME OF MY AWARD-WINNING CAPTIONS.

A SUPERHERO ON THE "WALLACE AND LADMO" SHOW

NEED ONLY BE TWO THINGS... NOT SUPER IN ANY WAY

NOR A HERO.

THE...

SEE, I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU ABOUT... THAT.

I TOLD THE LAUNDRY NO STARCH.

McMahon: REMEMBER CAPTAIN SUPER WORE A MASK

THAT WAS COMPLETELY CUT OUT

IN THE MIDDLE SO THERE WAS NO CHANCE

YOU WOULDN'T RECOGNIZE HIM?

LET'S HAVE A BIG HAND FOR BOFFO THE CLOWN.

Narrator: LIKE MANY KIDS' SHOWS, "WALLACE AND LADMO" HAD A CLOWN,

BUT BOFFO DIDN'T FIT THE USUAL CLOWN MOLD.

THE CHARACTER'S ONLY REAL MOTIVATION WAS MONEY.

BOFFO, HOW DO YOU PERSONALLY FEEL ABOUT THE KIDS?

IT'S A BUCK.

ANYBODY CALLS ME, I'LL SHOW UP.

THEY NEED A CLOWN, I'M IT.

WHAT ABOUT THE BIRTHDAY PARTIES?

HOW DO THEY WORK?

YEAH, ACTUALLY,

THAT'S WHERE YOUR BIG BREAD IS.

YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTIES,

THAT'S WHERE YOU PICK UP A LOT OF COIN.

I DON'T THINK LAD OR PAT OR I

EVER THOUGHT ANY CLOWN WAS FUNNY.

AND SO OUR CLOWN WAS GOING TO BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT...

HE HATED KIDS.

AS LONG AS THEY KEEP IT DOWN, AS LONG AS THEY DON'T

SCREAM AND YELL AND LAUGH AND GIGGLE,

'CAUSE THAT REALLY FROSTS ME, MAN.

I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE.

I GET, YOU KNOW, A BUCK AND A HALF,

$2 AN HOUR, I'M NOT GOING TO PUT UP WITH

A LOT OF JIBBER-JABBER, YOU KNOW?

I'LL BE THE CLOWN, YOU BE THE KIDS,

JUST SIT THERE AND SHUT YOUR MOUTHS, THAT'S ALL.

Narrator: ARIZONA'S "WALLACE AND LADMO"

SUCCEEDED BECAUSE ITS HUMOR

APPEALED TO TEENS AND ADULTS AS WELL AS CHILDREN.

OVER IN LOS ANGELES, AN INNOVATIVE PUPPET SHOW

WAS ATTRACTING A SIMILAR AUDIENCE.

HOW'D YOU LIKE TO BE IN PICTURES,

HAVE YOUR NAME UP IN LIGHTS,

DRIVE A CAR WITH THE STEERING WHEEL ON THE WRONG SIDE,

WEAR CHARTREUSE SUEDE WEDGES,

ALL THE BETTER THINGS, ALL THE BETTER THINGS?

Freberg: IF YOU'D SAY,

"WE'VE CREATED A SHOW THAT WILL APPEAL TO CHILDREN

AND ADULTS UP TO DR. ALBERT EINSTEIN,"

YOU KNOW, THEY'D SAY, "CALL... SECURITY!"

YOU KNOW, "GET THESE GUYS OUT OF HERE."

BUT ALL I KNOW IS, THAT'S WHAT WORKED.

YOU'RE NOT AS UGLY AS YOU LOOK.

OH, THANKS!

HEH-HEH.

Narrator: STARTING IN 1949,

7 OUT OF 10 LOS ANGELES TV VIEWERS

WOULD TUNE IN TO THIS PROGRAM DAILY.

NUMBERS HIGHER THAN A MODERN SUPER BOWL,

TO SEE A SHOW CALLED "TIME FOR BEANY."

SAY, YOU BOYS AIN'T SEEN A BIG, GIANT,

WHITE GORILLA AROUND, HAVE YOU?

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

HEY, YOU DIDN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION.

HUH.

Narrator: "TIME FOR BEANY" FLOWED FROM THE FERTILE MINDS

OF STAN FREBERG AND DAWS BUTLER.

YEARS LATER, FREBERG WOULD CREATE

THE FASTEST-SELLING COMEDY RECORD OF ALL TIME

AND A STRING OF FUNNY COMMERCIALS

THAT CHANGED THE DIRECTION OF AMERICAN ADVERTISING.

BUT BACK IN THE 1940s, STAN FREBERG WAS AN UNKNOWN.

HIS RISE TO FAME RANKS AMONG THE MOST IMPROBABLE

IN HOLLYWOOD HISTORY.

I'M RIDING DOWN HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD

AND I'M THE LAST PERSON ON THE BUS,

AND I SEE THE BUS DRIVER LOOK IN THE MIRROR,

THE REARVIEW MIRROR, AND SAID,

"WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GET OFF, KID?"

I SAID, "I WANT TO GET OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF HOLLYWOOD!"

PSSSSSH, HITS THE BRAKES.

I SAID, "IS THIS THE MIDDLE OF HOLLYWOOD?"

HE SAID, "KID, THIS IS AS MIDDLE AS IT GETS."

DOORS OPEN, I GET OFF THE BUS.

THERE'S A THREE-STORY BUILDING THERE, OKAY?

I WALK IN THE LOBBY, I THOUGHT,

"I WONDER IF THERE POSSIBLY COULD BE

A TALENT AGENT IN THIS BUILDING."

I WALK IN AND I SEE A CLEANERS, INVISIBLE WEAVING,

SECOND FLOOR,

"STARS OF TOMORROW TALENT AGENCY."

I SAID, "THAT'S ME!"

"STARS OF TOMORROW," THAT'S ME.

SO I GET IN THIS CREAKY ELEVATOR...

GOING UP TO THE SECOND FLOOR.

NOW I WALK IN, "STARS OF TOMORROW" ON THE DOOR,

AND A LITTLE SHORT GUY

WITH A CIGAR SAYS, "YES, CAN WE HELP YOU?"

I SAID, "YES"...

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU ABOUT SOME REPRESENTATION."

HE SAID, "WELL, WHAT DO YOU DO?"

I SAID, "WELL, I DO ALL KIND OF VOICES."

"AND TH... TH... TH... TH...

THAT'S ALL, FOLKS."

HE SAYS, "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE."

WALKS INTO THE PHONE,

CALLS A MAN NAMED JOHN BURTON

AT WARNER BROS. CARTOONS.

SAYS, "YES, HI.

"I'M BRINGING A TALENTED YOUNG MAN OVER TO...

"YOU HAVE TO HEAR HIM DO THESE VARIOUS VOICES.

"YES, I KNOW YOU HAVE MEL BLANC,

"BUT MEL BLANC CAN'T DO ALL THE VOICES IN THE WORLD.

HIS NAME IS STAN FREBERG AND I'M COMING RIGHT OVER."

HUNG UP THE PHONE.

SO I WAS SCARED TO DEATH, YOU KNOW, 18 YEARS OLD.

SO NOW JOHN BURTON SAYS, "OKAY, THIS IS

"A TALENTED YOUNG MAN WE JUST DISCOVERED.

GO AHEAD, STAN."

SO NOW I START TO DO THE VOICES.

NOW, THE MINUTE THEY START TO LAUGH, I KNOW I'M OKAY.

FRITZ FRELENG WALKS UP TO ME,

A LITTLE GUY, AND HE SAYS,

"WHY HAVEN'T WE HEARD OF YOU BEFORE, STAN?"

I SAID, "I DON'T KNOW, I'VE BEEN AROUND, YOU KNOW."

HE SAID, "OH, I DIDN'T MEAN THAT THE WAY IT SOUNDED.

I MEAN I'M SURE YOU DIDN'T JUST GET OFF THE BUS."

THAT'S A TRUE... TRUE STORY.

♪ AND A ROW-DODY-DODY DOE-DODY-DODY ♪

♪ SUNNY SIDE UP, A DOE-DODY-DODY ♪

Narrator: CARTOONS OF THE 1940s WERE SEEN ONLY IN THEATERS.

STAN FREBERG HADN'T THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT TELEVISION.

UNTIL A WARM EVENING IN 1949,

WHEN VETERAN ANIMATOR BOB CLAMPETT

INVITED FREBERG OVER TO HIS GARAGE.

CLAMPETT EXPLAINED THAT HE WANTED TO CREATE

A PUPPET SHOW FOR TV.

HE ASKED FREBERG AND FELLOW ACTOR DAWS BUTLER

IF THEY'D LIKE TO DO THE VOICES.

THEN CLAMPETT SHOWED THE TWO ACTORS

HIS MAKESHIFT PUPPET STUDIO.

OUT IN THE GARAGE BEHIND CLAMPETT'S HOUSE,

OKAY, AND DAWS AND I SAID, "WHERE ARE THE PUPPETEERS?"

WE THOUGHT WE WERE JUST GOING TO DO THE VOICES.

AND CLAMPETT SAID TO US, "YOU'RE THE PUPPETEERS."

I SAID, "WE'RE THE PUPPETEERS?"

I SAID TO DAWS, "IT'S CALLED ON-THE-JOB TRAINING."

Narrator: OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS,

EXECUTIVES FROM FOUR TV STATIONS

MADE THE PILGRIMAGE TO BOB CLAMPETT'S GARAGE

TO WATCH FREBERG AND BUTLER.

LATE ON A FRIDAY NIGHT, KTLA BOUGHT THE IDEA.

Man: CECIL IS MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION FROM HIS...

Narrator: THREE DAYS LATER, IT WAS ON THE AIR...

Man: HE OUGHT TO BE APPEARING ALMOST ANY MINUTE NOW.

Narrator: THE PREMIER OF "TIME FOR BEANY."

HI, EVERYBODY.

Narrator: "TIME FOR BEANY" AIRED LIVE FIVE DAYS A WEEK

FOR FIVE YEARS, ESTABLISHING ITSELF

AS THE MOST POPULAR CHILDREN'S SHOW IN LOS ANGELES.

ADULTS ENJOYED IT TOO, INCLUDING THE SMARTEST MIND

OF THE 20th CENTURY...

ALBERT EINSTEIN.

Freberg: ONE DAY HE STOOD UP IN A MEETING AND SAID,

"GENTLEMEN"... HE KEPT LOOKING AT HIS POCKET WATCH,

AND HE SAID, "GENTLEMEN, YOU WILL HAVE TO EXCUSE ME.

IT'S TIME FOR BEANY AND CECIL."

Narrator: ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY,

A YOUNG TEENAGER WAS ENAMORED WITH STAN FREBERG'S WORK...

THE HUMOR, THE ATTITUDE, THE EDGINESS.

WHILE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL, HE BEGAN PERFORMING

ON LOCAL TV SHOWS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.,

INCLUDING A KIDS' PROGRAM HOSTED BY WILLARD SCOTT.

Scott: I WAS FARMER WILLARD,

AND THERE WAS A KID THERE WHO WAS 16 YEARS OLD

WHO'D BROUGHT A BAG, LITERALLY LIKE A BURGLAR,

SECOND-STORY BURGLAR'S BAG,

OF LITTLE THINGS, AND HE CALLED THEM "MUPPETS."

AND THAT WAS THE FIRST SHOW THAT JIM HENSON EVER DID.

Narrator: JIM HENSON AND HIS WIFE-TO-BE JANE

SOON GOT THEIR OWN SHOW, "SAM AND FRIENDS,"

AIRING EVERY NIGHT IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Announcer: "SAM AND FRIENDS!"

THE PLATTER THEY'RE PLAYING ON THIS TV SHOW

SEEMS TO HAVE GOTTEN STUCK.

MAYBE IF I JUST HIT THE TELEVISION LIKE THIS...

Narrator: TV PUPPETEERS USED A TRADITIONAL PUPPET THEATER,

BUT HENSON WAS AMONG THE FIRST TO UNDERSTAND

THE POTENTIAL OF THE NEW MEDIUM.

THE TV FRAME WAS HIS STAGE, WHICH MEANT PUPPETS COULD

MOVE IN WAYS THEY NEVER HAD BEFORE.

SOME OF US ARE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.

SOME OF US ARE UGLY, AND WE LIKE IT THAT WAY.

Narrator: HENSON'S INNOVATIONS DIDN'T END THERE.

HE USED SOFT MATERIALS SO THAT HIS CHARACTERS

COULD BE MORE EXPRESSIVE,

HE ADDED CONTROL RODS RATHER THAN STRINGS

FOR MORE PRECISE MOVEMENT, AND HE EXTENDED HIS PUPPETRY

TO INCLUDE LIFE-SIZED CHARACTERS.

GRADUALLY HIS CHARACTERS EVOLVED,

FROM SAM TO ROWLF TO HIS TRADEMARK,

KERMIT THE FROG.

Scott: AND THEY ALL REALLY WERE A LITTLE PART OF JIM,

'CAUSE KERMIT REALLY IS JIM HENSON.

KERMIT WAS HIS SOUL, HIS SPIRIT, HIS LOVE.

HE WAS JUST A GENTLE SOUL.

I WANT THE CHEAP STUFF!

CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!

SORRY, BUT THAT OTHER COFFEE'S FOR THE BIRDS.

Narrator: THROUGHOUT THE '50s AND '60s,

JIM HENSON MADE A GOOD LIVING IN PUPPETRY...

PRIMARILY THROUGH COMMERCIALS.

WANT A CUP OF WILKINS COFFEE?

WHAT'LL MR. WILKINS DO IF I DON'T?

OH, HE'LL PROBABLY PUT HIS FOOT DOWN.

Narrator: IN THE LATE 1960s, PUBLIC TELEVISION PRODUCER

JOAN GANZ COONEY WAS LOOKING FOR A PUPPETEER

FOR A NEW SERIES SHE WAS DEVELOPING

CALLED "THE PRESCHOOL EDUCATION TELEVISION SHOW."

AN ASSOCIATE MADE A SUGGESTION.

SHE CALLED AND SAID, "YOU'VE GOT TO GO TO

"THE JOHNNY VICTOR THEATER AND SEE A SCREENING

OF A REEL OF COMMERCIALS BY SOMEONE NAMED JIM HENSON."

AND I WENT AND I REMEMBER JUST FALLING IN...

ALMOST FALLING IN THE AISLE LAUGHING AT THESE

CHINESE FOOD COMMERCIALS AND WONDER BREAD COMMERCIALS

AND SO ON THAT HE HAD DONE.

HERE, HOLD THIS.

OH, BOY, HE'S A HOT SALESMAN.

Narrator: COONEY ASKED HENSON IF HE WOULD CREATE

THE PUPPETS FOR HER NEW SERIES

WHICH WOULD SOON HAVE A MUCH CATCHIER NAME...

"SESAME STREET."

BUT JIM HENSON WAS NOT INTERESTED.

NOT AT FIRST.

HE SAW PUPPETRY AS AN ART FORM

THAT TAPPED ADULT SENSIBILITIES.

REACHING CHILDREN WAS FAR OFF HIS RADAR.

IN TIME, HE CAME TO SEE THE UNIQUE VALUE

OF THE "SESAME STREET" PROJECT,

AND HE GOT ONBOARD WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

I CALL MY BATHTUB "ROSIE."

ERNIE, WHY DO YOU CALL YOUR BATHTUB "ROSIE"?

WHAT'S THAT?

I SAID, WHY DO YOU CALL YOUR BATHTUB "ROSIE"?

BECAUSE EVERY TIME I TAKE A BATH,

I LIVE A RING AROUND ROSIE.

Narrator: JIM HENSON'S ABILITY TO ENGAGE CHILDREN AND ADULTS

WAS PITCH-PERFECT FOR "SESAME STREET."

THE SERIES WENT ON TO BECOME THE MOST INNOVATIVE

AND SUCCESSFUL NATIONAL CHILDREN'S PROGRAM

OF ALL TIME.

A WIDE RANGE OF GIFTED PEOPLE

SHARE CREDIT FOR "SESAME STREET'S" SUCCESS,

BUT JIM HENSON'S CHARACTERS WERE PIVOTAL...

CHARACTERS THAT MADE THEIR DEBUT ON A LOCAL TV SHOW

IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

JIM HENSON'S HIP, FAST-PACED STYLE

WAS A SHARP CONTRAST TO ANOTHER LOCAL TV PUPPETEER

WHO WOULD ALSO GO ON TO BECOME A NATIONAL STAR...

AMERICA'S FAVORITE NEIGHBOR, FRED ROGERS.

♪ IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ♪

♪ A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A NEIGHBOR ♪

♪ WOULD YOU BE MINE? ♪

♪ COULD YOU BE MINE? ♪

♪ IT'S A NEIGHBORLY... ♪

Narrator: FRED ROGERS ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO BECOME A MINISTER,

BUT THE FIRST TIME HE SAW A TV,

HIS LIFE CHANGED COURSE.

I SAW THIS NEW THING CALLED TELEVISION,

AND I SAW PEOPLE THROWING PIES IN EACH OTHER'S FACES,

AND I THOUGHT,

"THIS COULD BE A WONDERFUL TOOL FOR EDUCATION.

WHY IS IT BEING USED THIS WAY?"

IT REALLY DOESN'T... REALLY DOESN'T MATTER,

'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT GOING TO SEE JUST...

WE'LL JUST CUT IN ON THAT...

Narrator: EARLY ON, ROGERS GOT A JOB

ON A LOCAL KIDS' SHOW IN PITTSBURGH.

HE WASN'T ON-CAMERA,

BUT HE DID NEARLY EVERYTHING ELSE ON THE SHOW

CALLED "CHILDREN'S CORNER."

AND THAT'S WHY I STARTED WEARING TENNIS SHOES,

THOSE SNEAKERS,

BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE NOISE

AS I WOULD RUN ACROSS THE STUDIO.

SO I WAS ALWAYS IN THOSE SNEAKERS.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH ROGERS'S FACE

WAS NEVER SEEN ON "CHILDREN'S CORNER,"

HE DID VOICE ALL THE PUPPETS,

INCLUDING KING FRIDAY.

ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT?

MM-HMM. OH, YOU MUST MEAN...

♪ ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM ♪

OH, YEAH, I THOUGHT YOU MUST MEAN

PROPEL, PROPEL, PROPEL YOUR CRAFT.

YES, I GUESS THAT'S WHAT I MEAN, SURE.

IT'S, ♪ PROPEL, PROPEL, PROPEL YOUR CRAFT ♪

♪ GENTLY DOWN LIQUID SOLUTION ♪

♪ ECSTATICALLY, ECSTATICALLY, ECSTATICALLY, ECSTATICALLY ♪

♪ EXISTENCE IS BUT AN ILLUSION ♪

Narrator: BY THE EARLY 1960s, ROGERS GOT HIS OWN SHOW.

THIS TIME HE WAS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA

AS HIMSELF, A CARING, REASSURING VOICE,

THE POLAR OPPOSITE OF NEARLY EVERYTHING ELSE IN TV.

HE STAYED ON FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS.

♪ IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ♪

♪ A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A NEIGHBOR ♪

Rogers: I'D JUST LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED FOR BEING A...

COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEING

WHO HAPPENED TO BE FORTUNATE ENOUGH

TO BE BORN AT A TIME WHEN THERE WAS THIS

FABULOUS THING CALLED TELEVISION.

Narrator: IN THE 1950s AND '60s,

NEARLY EVERY LOCAL KIDS' TV SHOW HAD PUPPETS.

PUPPETS WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN THOSE DAYS.

PUPPETS REALLY LAUNCHED TELEVISION.

Narrator: IN NEW YORK, CHUCK McCANN REACHED AN AUDIENCE

THAT DWARFED MOST OTHER LOCAL KIDS' SHOWS,

STARTING WITH A SERIES CALLED "PUPPET HOTEL" IN 1960.

PUPPETS WORK FROM A HAND DOWN TO A HEART.

THERE'S A BIG, BIG DIFFERENCE.

THERE'S A REALITY THAT COMES OUT OF THIS,

AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL TO WATCH WHEN YOU SEE SOMEBODY

WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING WORKING PUPPETS.

Narrator: OVER THE NEXT DECADE, McCANN EXPANDED HIS COMEDY

TO INCLUDE A WIDE RANGE OF CHARACTERS AND SKITS.

BECAUSE DAYTIME TV WAS CONSIDERED UNPROFITABLE,

McCANN WAS GIVEN FREE REIN.

AND HE TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE OF ONE OF TV'S

MOST WIDE-OPEN, CREATIVE ARENAS.

HI, FRIENDS.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

HI, ONCE AGAIN, TO SEE DINKY AND DUNKY, YES, SIR.

McCann: I USED TO GET UP IN THE MORNING,

AND I WALKED TO THE STUDIO NOT KNOWING WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO.

HOW ARE YOU DOING, DINKY?

GOOD, WHERE'S DUNKY?

RIGHT HERE.

I WENT TO THE SALVATION ARMY

AND I PULLED ALL MY COSTUMES OUT OF THERE,

AND I USED TO GO INTO THE GARBAGE

ON PARK AVENUE ON THURSDAY WHEN THEY REMOVED IT

AND I'D FIND, YOU KNOW, HAIR DRYERS AND STUFF,

AND I'D SAY, "HEY, I COULD DO A THING WITH THIS."

Narrator: LIKE MANY OTHER SUCCESSFUL KIDS' HOSTS,

CHUCK McCANN DIDN'T NECESSARILY AIM HIS SHOWS AT CHILDREN.

I JUST WENT IN AND DID WHAT I THOUGHT WAS FUNNY.

WITH KIDS, WHEN YOU DO A KIDS' SHOW,

YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK DOWN TO THEM,

AND I... I NEVER... I NEVER...

NEVER WANTED TO DO THAT.

I ALWAYS FELT THAT IF I DID WHAT WAS FUNNY,

THE KIDS WOULD SENSE THAT.

♪ HERE AND I'M ♪

♪ FINE AND DANDY ♪

YOU DON'T MIND IF I HAVE MY LUNCH?

NO... ALL RIGHT.

♪ I'M FINE AND DANDY ♪

♪ FINE AND DANDY, I'M FINE AND DANDY ♪

♪ AND I LOVE YOU ♪

♪ OH... MMM ♪

♪ MMM MMM MMM ♪

♪ FINE AND DANDY ♪

♪ FINE AND DANDY ♪

Narrator: BY 1969, CHUCK McCANN HAD LEFT

HIS NEW YORK CHILDREN'S SHOW

TO EMBARK ON AN ACTING CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD.

THE TRANSITION FROM LOCAL CHILDREN'S HOST

TO NATIONAL CELEBRITY WAS NOT UNCOMMON.

DOZENS OF OTHER WELL-KNOWN STARS CAN TRACE THEIR ROOTS

TO KIDS' TV SHOWS.

MERV GRIFFIN HOSTED MIAMI'S "LUCKY DUCK SHOW."

TED KNIGHT STARRED ON "CHILDREN'S THEATER"

IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

"THE SOUPY SALES SHOW" BEGAN IN DETROIT

AND EVENTUALLY WENT NATIONAL.

ADAM WEST GOT HIS START ON "THE KINI POPO SHOW" IN HAWAII.

"THE KINI POPO SHOW,"

WHICH MEANS IN HAWAIIAN "ON THE BALL,"

AND THAT WAS MY EXPOSURE TO DOING A KIDS' SHOW.

WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD TO ENTERTAIN PEOPLE

EARLY IN THE MORNING FOR ABOUT...

I THINK IT WAS A TWO-HOUR SHOW,

AND, YOU KNOW, THAT MEANS YOU HAVE A CHIMPANZEE AS A SIDEKICK.

Narrator: WILLARD SCOTT HOSTED THREE DIFFERENT KIDS' SHOWS

IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

THE WORST SHOW I EVER DID IN MY LIFE, IN MY OPINION,

WAS THE BEST SHOW I EVER DID IN MY LIFE.

WE HAD MORE FUN, IT WAS CALLED "COMMANDER RETRO,"

AND I USED MY BASSET HOUND, HE WAS DR. STRANGEDOG.

WE'D TAKE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER

AND SHOOT IT OFF IN FRONT OF THE LENS

TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A ROCKET ENGINE,

AND THEN AS THAT THING CLEARED UP,

YOU SAW THE MOON'S SURFACE COME TO...

AND WE WOULD JUST ALL RAISE IT UP OFF THE FLOOR,

BUT IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE LANDING.

AND OF COURSE YOU'D SEE CHARLIE...

ONE OF THE STAGEHANDS WAS HANGING ON TO IT.

Narrator: WHILE MANY PERFORMERS LEARNED THEIR CRAFT

ON CHILDREN'S SHOWS AND THEN MOVED ON,

OTHERS MADE THE DECISION TO STAY.

IN PHOENIX, THE STARS OF THE POPULAR

"WALLACE AND LADMO SHOW" FACED A KEY DECISION IN 1963...

WHEN ONE OF THE SHOW'S STARS, PAT McMAHON,

DID A SKIT, A PARODY OF THE BEATLES,

THAT WAS JUST A LITTLE TOO GOOD.

♪ WELL, I GOT A GIRL NAMED BONEY MARONEY ♪

♪ BOP SHOO BOP SHOO BOP BOP SHOO BOP ♪

Narrator: CALLED "HUB CAP & THE WHEELS,"

PAT McMAHON'S JOKE BAND

ACTUALLY SCORED A REAL HIT RECORD.

♪ YOU OUGHTTA SEE HER ROCK WITH HER BLUE JEANS ON ♪

McMahon: AND IT BEAT THE BEATLES

ON THE LOCAL CHARTS.

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT ANYBODY HAD BEEN AT NUMBER ONE

IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME EXCEPT THE BEATLES.

WELL, WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH THAT.

Narrator: SOON, HUB CAP & THE WHEELS

WERE MAKING NATIONAL TV APPEARANCES.

CAPITOL RECORDS SIGNED THEM TO A RECORDING CONTRACT.

A MOVIE WAS PLANNED.

PAT McMAHON HAD A CHOICE TO MAKE...

TEEN HEARTTHROB IN HOLLYWOOD

OR BACK TO THE KIDS' SHOW IN PHOENIX.

♪ WHEN I SAY THAT DIRTY WORD ♪

AND IT WAS SO TOTALLY SURREAL THAT WE SAID,

"OKAY, WAIT A MINUTE, GUYS, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

"DO YOU WANT TO BE 45-YEAR-OLD WHEELS,

OR DO YOU WANT TO DO 'THE WALLACE SHOW'?"

AND WE JUST LOVED DOING THE SHOW.

WE JUST LOVED DOING "THE WALLACE AND LADMO SHOW,"

SO THEY LET US OUT OF OUR CONTRACT.

Narrator: McMAHON RETURNED TO PHOENIX,

AND "THE WALLACE AND LADMO SHOW" WOULD SETTLE INTO

A DECADES-LONG REIGN AS ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED

LOCAL KIDS' PROGRAMS ANYWHERE.

ANYONE WHO GREW UP IN PHOENIX LIKE ME

CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL, 4:00, YOU GOT A LITTLE SNACK,

CLICKED ON THE TV,

AND YOU WATCHED "WALLACE AND LADMO."

I LIVED IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA FOR OVER A DECADE,

AND I WATCHED THEM EVERY DAY, AND EVEN WHEN I GREW UP

AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TOO OLD TO WATCH THEM,

I STILL WATCHED THEM, BECAUSE THEY WERE VERY HIP.

THEY ALWAYS KEPT ABREAST OF THE TIMES

AND THEY WERE VERY HIP.

THEY WERE THE "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"

BEFORE "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE."

THEY WERE THE "SECOND CITY" BEFORE "SECOND CITY."

LADMO FLAKES!

THE BREAKFAST CEREAL FOR KIDS WHO DON'T

LIKE CEREAL, AND THAT'S THE AMAZING PART...

THERE'S NO CEREAL AT ALL IN THE BOX!

EACH AND EVERY PACKAGE OF LADMO FLAKES

IS FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH...

♪ DA DA DA DA DA DUM! ♪

PRIZES,

TOYS, PREMIUMS! IMAGINE!

Narrator: THE SHOW WAS SO POPULAR,

IT EVEN SPAWNED A CHAIN OF DRIVE-IN RESTAURANTS.

THE IDEA MADE SENSE...

BOTH FAST FOOD AND KIDS' TV WERE BOOMING.

IN THE MID-1950s, FAST FOOD FRANCHISES

BEGAN TO TAKE HOLD.

IN RETROSPECT, THE CONCEPT SEEMS REMARKABLY SIMPLE...

A SUCCESS IN ONE CITY HAS A GOOD CHANCE

OF SUCCEEDING IN EVERY CITY.

AS HAMBURGER STANDS BEGAN SPROUTING UP AROUND THE COUNTRY,

A FEW ENTERPRISING TV PRODUCERS THOUGHT FRANCHISING

MIGHT ALSO WORK IN CHILDREN'S TELEVISION.

THE FIRST PERSON TO PUT A PLAN INTO ACTION

WAS NANCY CLASTER, WHO, WITH HER HUSBAND BURT,

CREATED "ROMPER ROOM."

Manderfield: SHE IMPRESSED ME BECAUSE

SHE REALLY KNEW WHAT SHE WAS DOING.

SHE JUST HAD A FIRM CONTROL ON THE WHOLE THING.

SHE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT.

NOW, WE'RE GOING TO FOLD OUR HANDS AND SAY,

"GOD IS GREAT, GOD IS GOOD.

"LET US THANK HIM FOR OUR FOOD.

AMEN."

THANK YOU, BOYS AND GIRLS,

NOW YOU MAY HELP YOURSELVES TO COOKIES

AND TO YOUR REFRESHMENTS.

Narrator: AIMED SQUARELY AT PRESCHOOLERS,

"ROMPER ROOM" WAS A MIX OF GAMES, SONGS, AND MORAL LESSONS.

MOST CITIES HAD THEIR OWN LOCAL HOST,

TRAINED BY CLASTER AT HER BALTIMORE FACILITY.

IT WAS MISS MARY ANN IN LOS ANGELES,

MISS BEVERLY IN CHICAGO,

AND MISS MARLENE IN GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN,

MORE THAN 100 IN ALL.

EACH HOSTESS WAS A REAL PERSON,

AND WE WERE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.

I NEVER MISSED A PARADE, AND IF THEY CALLED ME

TO BE IN A PARADE, "YES, YOU JUST TELL ME WHERE IT IS."

BECAUSE I KNEW EVERY PLACE I WENT

THAT I WOULD HAVE MORE VIEWERS.

Narrator: EACH HOSTESS CAREFULLY FOLLOWED

THE SAME SCRIPTS, SONGS, AND ACTIVITIES,

ALL PREPARED BY NANCY CLASTER.

Serrano: THE CLASTERS

WERE VERY, VERY STRICT ON HOW ALL

THE "ROMPER ROOM" TEACHERS NEEDED TO BEHAVE,

HOW WE DRESSED, HOW WE TALKED,

HOW WE INTROED THINGS,

THE WAY WE RELATED TO THE CHILDREN.

THERE WAS A FORMULA.

IT WAS A SUCCESSFUL FORMULA.

YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO DIVERT FROM

THE GUIDELINES THAT THEY GAVE YOU.

EVERYTHING WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE JUST SO.

Narrator: DESPITE THE UNIFORMITY,

"ROMPER ROOM" WAS A LOCAL SHOW,

AND EACH VERSION REFLECTED ITS COMMUNITY.

FRIENDS AT HOME, WE HAVE A STORY FOR YOU,

UN CUENTO,

ES UN "CUENTO DE UN COCODRILO," "THE STORY OF THE CROCODILE."

Serrano: CULTURALLY I WAS A WHOLE DIFFERENT

"ROMPER ROOM" TEACHER,

SO MADE SURE THAT WE HAD AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN,

LATINO, ASIAN,

WHITE CHILDREN,

CHILDREN OF ALL KINDS OF CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS.

YOU KNOW, THIS WAS THE MID-'70s,

SO WE HAD BOY... I HAD A BOY THERE NAMED RAINBOW.

WE HAD, YOU KNOW, GIRLS NAMED FREE.

Narrator: THE CHILDREN IN THE STUDIO

WERE REGULAR KIDS FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

WHO CAME IN FOR A WEEK TO CREATE A MEMORY

THAT LASTED A LIFETIME.

YOU COULD SIGN UP FOR "ROMPER ROOM."

YOU COULD JUST GO IN LIKE A CIVILIAN

AND GET ON "ROMPER ROOM."

SO WE WENT DOWN TO "ROMPER ROOM"

AND MY... WE SIGNED UP FOR "ROMPER ROOM,"

MISS MARY WAS MY TEACHER,

AND NORMALLY YOU DID IT FOR A WEEK,

AND I LIKED IT SO MUCH AND I GUESS THEY LIKED ME

THAT I DID IT FOR TWO WEEKS.

I WAS A... WHAT WAS IT, "DO BEE."

THERE WAS "DO BEES" AND "DON'T BEES."

I WAS A "DO BEE."

Narrator: BECAUSE "ROMPER ROOM" WAS LIVE

WITH THREE- AND FOUR-YEAR-OLDS,

ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN.

IN LOS ANGELES, MISS MARY ANN

LIKED TO BRING ANIMALS INTO THE STUDIO.

WHEN A YOUNG LION MADE A VISIT,

A TECHNICIAN THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO PLAY THE SOUND

OF A ROARING ADULT LION.

AND THAT LION WENT BERSERK.

HE THOUGHT IT WAS THE CALL OF THE WILD

OR THE CALL OF HIS MOTHER,

BUT HE WENT RIGHT FOR THE CAMERAMAN.

I'VE NEVER SEEN THEM MOVE THOSE CAMERAS SO FAST

IN ALL MY LIFE.

THEY GOT UP ON THE RISERS WITH THE PARENTS

IN THE BACK OF THE STUDIO, AND THIS LION'S GOING,

RAH, RAH, I SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT, BOYS AND GIRLS?

"I THINK THAT LION IS LOOKING FOR THE CALL OF HIS MOTHER,

"AND WHILE HE CONTINUES LOOKING, LET'S PUT ON OUR MAGIC EYES

AND SEE WHAT'S COMING OUR WAY RIGHT NOW."

TWO MINUTES OF FILMED COMMERCIAL.

AND I'LL LOOK FOR YOU IN A MAGIC MIRROR,

SO HERE I GO.

ROMPER, BOMPER, STOMPER BOO.

TELL ME, TELL ME...

Narrator: "ROMPER ROOM'S" TRADEMARK SEGMENT

WAS THE MAGIC MIRROR, WHICH SEEMED TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE

FOR THE HOSTESS TO SEE CHILDREN AT HOME

THROUGH THE TV.

YOUNGSTERS PATIENTLY WAITED FOR THEIR NAME TO BE CALLED.

ROMPER, BOMPER, STOMPER BOO.

ROMPER, BOMPER, STOMPER BOO.

TELL ME, TELL ME, TELL ME, DO,

MAGIC MIRROR, TELL ME TODAY,

DID ALL MY FRIENDS HAVE FUN AT PLAY?

I SEE MARCHAND AND AMANDA.

I SEE NASTORA AND ANDREA.

I SEE ROBERT AND MAY,

LeSEAN, LEO, LAUREN, AND CAROL.

THERE'S MARTIN, JUNIOR, AND YOU,

AND I'LL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN TOMORROW

ON "ROMPER ROOM" SCHOOL.

AND I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW AT 9:00

IN THE "ROMPER ROOM" SCHOOL.

Narrator: THE ORGANIZATION AND DISCIPLINE OF "ROMPER ROOM"

PROVIDED A SHARP CONTRAST TO THE OTHER BIG HIT

IN FRANCHISED KIDS' TELEVISION...

A MANIC CLOWN CALLED BOZO.

BOZO PREDATES TELEVISION.

Bozo: OUR SKY ROCKET SHIP HAS TAKEN...

Narrator: SHORTLY AFTER WORLD WAR II,

THE CHARACTER EMERGED AS A STORYTELLING RECORD

AND READ-ALONG BOOK.

Bozo: AND HERE WE ARE IN SUNNY ITALY.

Narrator: IN THE MID-1950s,

LARRY HARMON BOUGHT THE CHARACTER

AND EMBARKED ON THE MOST AGGRESSIVE

FRANCHISING EFFORT IN KIDS' TV HISTORY.

Scott: LARRY HARMON WAS LARRY HARMON

WAS BOZO WAS BOZO WAS LARRY HARMON.

THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE.

I MEAN, HE WAS THE MOST... HE WAS A KID.

HE WAS A 40-YEAR-OLD KID WHEN I MET HIM.

HE WAS A 90-YEAR-OLD KID WHEN HE PASSED AWAY.

HE WOULD DO TV APPEARANCES

SOMETIMES VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING,

SO HE HAD TO SLEEP WITH HIS MAKEUP ON,

AND I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME HE DID IT,

AND I TURNED OVER,

AND I'M LOOKING AT THE BOZO FACE,

AND I JUST THOUGHT, "WHERE AM I?

"WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?

I'M SLEEPING WITH THIS CLOWN."

Narrator: HARMON USED BOZO'S POPULARITY

AS A SPRINGBOARD TO A WIDE RANGE OF UNLIKELY PERSONAL ADVENTURES,

INCLUDING A JOURNEY TO NEW GUINEA

AND A RIDE ON NASA'S WEIGHTLESS FLIGHTS,

ALL AS BOZO.

OH!

AH!

Narrator: EVENTUALLY, MORE THAN 100 BOZOS

ACROSS THE COUNTRY PUT ON THE DISTINCTIVE CLOWN MAKEUP

FIVE DAYS A WEEK,

FOLLOWING THE LOOK REFINED BY LARRY HARMON.

Harmon: NO SMOKING, NO DRINKING, NO WOMANIZING,

NEVER SHOW SKIN.

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE SKIN, BECAUSE THE CHILD

SHOULD THINK OF BOZO AS BOZO,

NOT A PERSON UNDERNEATH.

HEY!

Narrator: THE BOZOS WERE NOT CLONES.

EACH WAS A REFLECTION OF THE MAN UNDER THE MAKEUP,

INCLUDING FRANK AVRUCH IN BOSTON,

BOB BELL IN CHICAGO,

AND WILLARD SCOTT IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Scott: IT REALLY GOT TO ME.

I'D TREMBLE SOMETIMES TRYING TO PUT THAT MAKEUP ON

'CAUSE IT WAS SO... IT WAS EXHAUSTING.

OH, WAIT, HERE'S A FELLA, THANK YOU, OKAY.

I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE EVER GONNA GET DOWN HERE.

YOU'RE CHUCKY, RIGHT?

YEAH. WHAT A NICE SMILE.

Narrator: UNLIKE MANY KIDS' SHOW HOSTS, BOZO WAS

CONSTANTLY INTERACTING WITH A FULL STUDIO

OF OVEREXCITED YOUNGSTERS.

BECAUSE IT WAS A LIVE SHOW,

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED GOT ON THE AIR,

INCLUDING THE TIME ONE BOY

TOOK A SWING AT WILLARD SCOTT.

Scott: AND THEN HE

GAVE ME A BAT AND THEN HE... AND THEN HE...

I FELL OVER BECAUSE HE WAS A BIG KID,

AND THEN HE SAT ON MY CHEST AND STARTED BEATING ME UP

AND THEY HAD TO PULL HIM OFF.

SO THERE ARE HAZARDS WITH THE SHOW.

♪ SOME PEOPLE SELL INSURANCE ♪

♪ TO MINIMIZE YOUR STRIFE ♪

♪ THERE MAY BE AN OCCURRENCE ♪

♪ WHEN POLICEMEN SAVE YOUR LIFE ♪

Narrator: CHICAGO'S VERSION OF "BOZO'S CIRCUS"

RANKS AS THE MOST POPULAR LOCAL CHILDREN'S SHOW

IN TV HISTORY, A CHERISHED HOUR

OF GAMES, SONGS, AND LAUGHS,

ON THE AIR FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS.

YOU SEE HOW THAT WORKS? THAT'S REALLY CLEVER.

NOW WHAT NUMBER DID YOU SAY WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE?

WELL, IT'S OBVIOUS, YOU'VE ALREADY SHOWN ME.

NOW I KNOW THERE'S ONLY TWO ON THAT SIDE.

NO, THERE'S THREE OVER THERE.

YOU SEE THAT, HOW THAT WORKS, COOKY?

HE HAD SORT OF A RASPY VOICE LIKE THAT.

YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ONE OF THE SHOWS

I ENJOYED WATCHING AS A KID WAS "THE BOZO THE CLOWN SHOW."

NOW, HOW MANY WOULD YOU SAY WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE?

WELL, YOU SHOWED ME ALREADY,

I KNOW THERE'S FIVE ON THE OTHER SIDE.

UH-HUH-HUH, SORRY ABOUT THAT, PAL.

OH!

COOKY, LOOK AT THIS!

AW, A LITTLE BABY KITTY CAT!

HE MUST'VE HEARD HIS SONG AND COME OVER TO PLAY WITH US.

NICE JOB.

HOLD IT, HOLD IT, WHOA, WHOA.

OH, IT'S AMAZING HOW THOSE LITTLE...

IT...

IT'S AMAZING HOW THOSE LITTLE CLAWS

GO RIGHT THROUGH TO YOUR SKIN.

Castellaneta: KRUSTY THE CLOWN.

NOW, KRUSTY THE CLOWN WAS

BASED ON THE BOZO THE CLOWN I HAD IN CHICAGO,

AND I REMEMBER BOB BELL'S VOICE,

AND YOU'RE JUST DOING THESE THINGS ON THE FLY, SO,

I JUST DID THAT.

THAT WAS THE VOICE.

Narrator: MOST BOZOS MADE PUBLIC APPEARANCES

AT PARADES, SCHOOLS, AND GRAND OPENINGS.

IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THE LOCAL McDONALD'S

HIRED WILLARD SCOTT AS BOZO

IN AN ATTEMPT TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS.

IT WORKED.

BOZO'S ARRIVAL AT McDONALD'S SPARKED MAYHEM.

ROADS HAD TO BE CLOSED, EXTRA POLICE CALLED OUT,

BECAUSE THOUSANDS WANTED TO SEE THEIR HERO.

I HAD MAKEUP ON MY FACE AND THEN I'D HAVE

THIS HUGE, 900-POUND SUIT,

AND IT WAS 100° AND WE WERE DOING AN APPEARANCE OUT IN,

YOU KNOW, SOME McDONALD'S HAMBURGER PLACE,

AND I NEVER DID DEEP SIX OR FALL OVER,

BUT I THOUGHT A COUPLE OF TIMES I WOULD.

I... WHAT DO YOU CALL IT, YOU HYPERVENTILATE?

Narrator: WHEN THE BOZO SHOW WAS CANCELLED

IN THE WASHINGTON MARKET,

THE LOCAL McDONALD'S RESTAURANTS

WERE LEFT WITHOUT THEIR BEST PITCHMAN.

McDONALD'S CAME TO ME AND ASKED ME,

YOU KNOW, IF I'D LIKE TO KEEP WORKING FOR THEM,

AND OF COURSE I SAID, "SURE," AND THEY SAID,

"WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO?"

I SAID, "OH, IT'S OBVIOUS... WE SHOULD HAVE OUR OWN CLOWN."

Narrator: THE NEW CLOWN WILLARD SCOTT CAME UP WITH

WAS RONALD... RONALD McDONALD.

BASICALLY, I MEAN, THERE WAS AN AWFUL LOT OF BOZO IN RONALD,

YOU KNOW, THE LAUGH AND THE WARMTH AND EVERYTHING.

Narrator: IN RONALD'S FIRST INCARNATION,

THE COSTUME REFLECTED HIS SINGULAR ROLE

AS HAMBURGER SALESMAN.

Scott: IT WAS THE MOST COMMERCIAL...

THE GAUDIEST THING YOU'VE EVER SEEN.

THERE WAS A BIG, WIDE, BLUE BELT AROUND MY MIDDLE,

AND IT HAD A LITTLE SPRING IN IT,

AND WE'D PUT TWO OR THREE HAMBURGERS...

FAKE HAMBURGERS... AND WHEN YOU PRESSED

MY BELLY BUTTON, THE HAMBURGER WOULD POP OUT,

AND THEN WE HAD A HAT, IT WAS MADE OF STYROFOAM,

AND IN THE HAT WE HAD A MILKSHAKE AND FRIES.

SO IT WAS PRETTY COMMERCIAL.

Narrator: THE CROSSOVER FROM KIDS' SHOW HOST

TO COMMERCIAL PITCHMAN WASN'T UNIQUE TO BOZO AND RONALD.

ALL ACROSS AMERICA, CHILDREN'S TV HOSTS

WERE SELLING PRODUCTS.

Axel: SO, KIDS, YOU BE SURE AND TELL YOUR MOM ABOUT

THESE NABISCO WHEAT HONEYS THAT ARE SO GOOD TO EAT

AND SO GOOD FOR YOU, WILL YOU?

NOW IT'S THE SENSATIONAL NEW FIRE CHIEF SPEAKERS HAT.

EASY TO GET FROM ANY TEXACO DEALER

FOR $3.98, BUT ONLY...

Narrator: AT FIRST IT SEEMED INNOCENT TO HAVE

A LOCAL HOST MENTION A FEW TOYS.

BECAUSE THE CHILDREN WANT TO PARTICIPATE WITH YOU,

AND IF THAT ITEM THAT I'M USING,

THAT TAMBOURINE OR THE DRUM, IS AVAILABLE,

IT'S ALL RIGHT TO TELL THEM

WHERE THEY CAN BUY IT, DON'T YOU THINK?

Narrator: AS THE HAWKING INCREASED,

CRITICISM BEGAN TO MOUNT.

REMIND MOM TO BE SURE AND GET SEVERAL PACKAGES

OF MICKELBERRY'S PLUMP AND JUICY FRANKS TODAY.

BECAUSE THIS IS THE MILK THAT'S GOOD FOR YA.

IT HAS THE FRESH-FROM-THE-FARM FLAVOR, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

SEE 'EM GO? THOSE BUBBLES ARE AVAILABLE

IN WHAT WE CALL THE BUBBALOON GAME,

AND IT'S AVAILABLE AT TOYLAND FOR 98 CENTS.

THAT'S ALL IT COSTS.

DID YOU EVER STOP TO THINK

HOW MANY TIMES A DAY YOU COULD EAT BREAD?

Narrator: IN 1968, A SUBURBAN MOTHER

NAMED PEGGY CHARREN GATHERED A FEW FRIENDS

IN HER LIVING ROOM TO TALK ABOUT WAYS

TO FIGHT THE GROWING COMMERCIALISM

OF KIDS' TV SHOWS.

SHE CALLED HER GROUP "ACTION FOR CHILDREN'S TELEVISION,"

AND WITHIN TWO YEARS, THEY WERE TESTIFYING

BEFORE THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

AND SPEARHEADING MAJOR CHANGES IN BROADCASTING LAW,

INCLUDING THE PASSAGE OF A LANDMARK RULE

THAT PROHIBITED KIDS' TV HOSTS

FROM SELLING PRODUCTS ON THEIR SHOWS.

AROUND THE SAME TIME,

COMEDIAN BILL COSBY TURNED HIS ATTENTION

TO CHILDREN'S TELEVISION.

HE DIDN'T LIKE WHAT HE SAW.

THAT TV SET DOESN'T PLAY CHILDREN STORIES

THE WAY IT OUGHT TO

BECAUSE THEY WON'T PAY THE PRICE UNLESS

SOME DOLL COMES OUT OF IT, SOME TOY COMES OUT

THAT THEY CAN PUT IN THE STORE

AND HAVE THE LITTLE CHILDREN

TO A GROWN-UP, "I WANT THAT, I WANT THAT,"

ALL THE PEOPLE BUY IT AND GIVE IT TO THEM.

Narrator: COSBY TOOK ACTION.

EARNING A PH.D. IN EDUCATION, WRITING HIS DISSERTATION

ON THE UNTAPPED POTENTIAL OF CHILDREN'S TV,

COSBY WANTED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT COMMERCIAL STATIONS

COULD PRODUCE A QUALITY PROGRAM FOR KIDS,

A SHOW THAT HAD EDUCATIONAL VALUE

AND GOT GOOD RATINGS.

HIS BREAKTHROUGH SERIES WAS CALLED

"FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS."

HEY, HEY, HEY!

IT'S FAT ALBERT!

AND I'M...

Man: THEY BECAME STORIES

AND CONTENT AREAS THAT

REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU WERE OR WHERE YOU LIVED,

THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THOSE STORIES

THAT YOU COULD TAKE AWAY.

THAT YOU COULD TAKE AWAY FROM THE PROGRAM

AND APPLY TO YOUR OWN LIFE.

NOT ONLY WAS THE SHOW THE KIND OF SHOW

THAT EVERYBODY THOUGHT WOULD FAIL,

BUT IT GOT HUMONGOUS NUMBERS.

WE GOT 60 SHARES AT 12:00 SATURDAY MORNING,

AND THAT WAS A LOT, EVEN THEN.

Narrator: BILL COSBY DEMONSTRATED THAT

A CHILDREN'S SHOW WITH EDUCATIONAL CONTENT

COULD SUCCEED ON COMMERCIAL TELEVISION.

KID'S TV DIDN'T HAVE TO SINK TO

SHAMELESS PRODUCT SHILLING TO SUCCEED.

CBS WAS STUNNED WHEN "FAT ALBERT"

BECAME A MAJOR SUCCESS.

THERE WASN'T ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR

THAT THEY COULD SELL.

IT WAS STILL

ALMOST AN ALBATROSS, THIS SHOW.

TWO THINGS... IT WAS A KIDS' SHOW.

NUMBER TWO, IT WAS BLACK,

TO PEOPLE IN THE NETWORK,

TO PEOPLE IN ADVERTISING,

AND SO EVEN THOUGH WE WERE WHIPPING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL,

THERE WASN'T...

YOU KNOW, I THINK CBS AT THAT TIME WAS LOOKING AROUND

OVER THEIR SHOULDER FOR SOMETHING ELSE

TO COME ALONG, BUT, MAN, WE DID...

YES, I'M PROUD.

Narrator: BY THE LATE 1970s,

LOCAL KIDS' TV SHOWS WERE ON THE DECLINE.

THE NEW LAWS BANNING HOST SELLING

HAD CUT DEEPLY INTO THE BOTTOM LINE,

AND CHEAPER SYNDICATED FARE WAS NOW WIDELY AVAILABLE.

THE ERA OF THE HOMETOWN TV COWBOYS AND PIRATES

AND CLOWNS HAD COME TO AN END... ALMOST.

COME IN!

Narrator: IN PHOENIX,

"THE WALLACE AND LADMO SHOW" WAS BUCKING THE TREND,

STILL GOING STRONG THROUGH THE 1980s.

ONE KEY TO THE SHOW'S CONTINUING SUCCESS

WAS A CHARACTER NAMED GERALD.

THAT WAS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

YOU INVITED THESE LITTLE JERKS DOWN HERE,

YOU GOT 'EM OUT OF THE ALLEY WHERE THEY USUALLY HANG OUT.

THOSE ARE CUB SCOUTS, BOY!

Narrator: PLAYED BY PAT McMAHON,

GERALD WAS A SELF-IMPORTANT SNOB

WHO AUDIENCES LOVED TO HATE.

Narrator: WHILE MOST KIDS' SHOWS HAD

A FRIENDLY HERO, VERY FEW HAD A VILLAIN,

AND ON "WALLACE AND LADMO," THE VILLAIN HAD GIRLISH HAIR,

WORE SHORT PANTS, AND ANNOYED EVERYONE.

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE IN THE BOY SCOUTS.

BITE YOUR TONGUE, I'M NOT A BOY SCOUT.

GIRL SCOUTS?

BOY SCOUTS ARE FOR ORDINARY, COMMON KIDS.

I AM A CHILD GUIDE. THAT'S FOR RICH KIDS.

AS YOU KNOW, I'M VERY, VERY WEALTHY.

YEAH?

Narrator: WHEN THE GERALD CHARACTER

MADE HIS FIRST APPEARANCE, IN 1963,

NO ONE WAS SURE IF HE WOULD CATCH ON,

UNTIL GERALD APPEARED ON A SATURDAY STAGE SHOW,

AN EVENT THAT GOT OUT OF CONTROL.

HE WAS A BRAT, AND IT WAS FUN TO BOO HIM.

GERALD CAME OUT AND READ THE RULES TO THE KIDS.

DO NOT LOOK AT HIM DIRECTLY IN THE EYE.

DO NOT SPEAK TO HIM UNLESS HE SPEAKS FIRST.

IF THIS CROWD DOES NOT TREAT ME LIKE THE STAR I AM,

I'M WALKING OFF THIS STAGE AND GOING HOME.

BOO! BOO! BOO!

IT WAS A HUGE CROWD.

THEY WERE REALLY MAD.

McMahon: SOMEBODY WITH A BIZARRE SENSE OF HUMOR

HAD PASSED OUT PICKLES,

AND A NINE-YEAR-OLD WITH A GIGANTIC GHERKIN

CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS PART OF YOUR AUDIENCE.

THEY ATTACKED THE STAGE,

TRYING TO GET AT GERALD.

AND THE KIDS WERE HYSTERICAL.

AND THEY BEGAN THROWING THINGS AND CHARGING THE STAGE,

AND THEY TORE PART OF THE STAGE DOWN.

PART OF THE PLATFORM CAME DOWN, SO WE THOUGHT,

"WE'D BETTER PUT HIM IN THE TRUCK."

I REMEMBER SOMEBODY ESCORTING ME TO THE CAB OF A PICKUP TRUCK

THAT WAS BEHIND THE STAGE,

AND THE KIDS BEGAN TO ROCK THE THING BACK AND FORTH.

AND THE KIDS START ROCKING THE TRUCK.

IT WAS A PICKUP TRUCK.

AND YOU COULD SEE HIM IN THERE...

AND, BY THE WAY,

WALL AND LAD WERE ON WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE STAGE

LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY POINTING AND THINKING,

"WAIT, WE COULD DO THIS EVERY WEEKEND!"

SO I SAID TO LAD, "GEEZ, I THINK WE'RE

"ONTO SOMETHING HERE WITH... WITH...

"THIS GUY'S REALLY TERRIBLE.

"THEY REALLY HATE HIM.

THIS IS WONDERFUL!"

Narrator: THE SHOW NOW HAD ITS ARCH-VILLAIN,

A PERFECT COUNTERPOINT TO THE LIKABLE LADMO.

HE WAS THE GREATEST THING WE EVER HAD ON THE SHOW.

McMahon: IS THERE ANY BETTER EXAMPLE

OF HOW NOT TO BEHAVE?

AND IF YOU DO BEHAVE THAT WAY, LOOK WHAT HE GETS.

EVERYBODY DESPISES HIM.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING RIGHT NOW ON PBS? HUH?

NO.

I COULD BE HOME WATCHING

"THE LIFECYCLE OF THE SNOWSHOE HARE,"

BUT NO, NO.

Narrator: EVENTUALLY THE STARS OF "WALLACE AND LADMO" RETIRED,

AND THE SHOW ENDED ITS RUN IN 1989,

AS POPULAR AS EVER.

I HAVE A POEM THAT I'D LIKE TO RECITE.

A POEM? GERALD HAS A POEM.

OH...

WAIT A MINUTE, HOLD IT.

GERALD, WE HAVE TO KEEP THE PACE OF THE SHOW MOVING.

Narrator: TODAY, THE ERA OF LOCAL KIDS' TV MAY BE OVER,

BUT FOR A GENERATION OF VIEWERS,

THE SHOWS ARE A CHERISHED MEMORY.

WHATEVER THE INFLUENCES ARE WHEN THEY'RE THAT SMALL,

THEY'RE GOING TO GO WITH THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

YOU DON'T REALIZE THE IMPACT THAT YOU HAVE

DOING A TELEVISION SHOW,

ESPECIALLY A CHILDREN'S TELEVISION SHOW,

AND IT JUST TOUCHED MY HEART.

I DIDN'T TALK DOWN TO THEM.

I DIDN'T GO, "THEN THE MAN WENT"...

YOU KNOW, I DID A COMEDY SHOW.

THE KIDS ARE... THEY'RE PRETTY SMART,

AND YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK DOWN TO THEM.

BECAUSE KIDS ARE REALLY SHARP,

AND THEY'RE... THEY WANT TO LAUGH,

AND IF IT'S FUNNY, IT'S FUNNY.

I USE MYSELF AS A YARDSTICK FOR WHAT'S FUNNY,

AND I... HOPEFULLY MILLIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE

HAVE THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY TOO, OVER THE YEARS, YEAH.

BUT A SHOW YOU CAN GO SEE

AND HAVE BREYERS ICE CREAM AFTERWARDS

AND SIT DOWN WITH YOUR HERO, BOZO?

I MEAN, THAT WAS A GREAT MOMENT.

I THINK ALL OF US WHO WORKED ON THAT SHOW

AND EVERYONE WHO WATCHED IT

PRETTY MUCH KNEW THAT AN ERA WAS COMING TO AN END,

THAT WE WOULD NEVER SEE ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN.

Narrator: WHILE THE PROGRAMS THEMSELVES

ARE ALL BUT GONE,

THE LEGACY OF THE LOCAL CHILDREN'S TV SHOWS CONTINUES,

WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF THE NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS,

A PART OF OUR LIVES EVERY DAY,

THANKS TO THE PIONEERS OF TELEVISION.

FOR MORE INSIDER FEATURES ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE TV STARS,

STORIES YOU WON'T HEAR ANYWHERE ELSE,

VISIT pbs.org.