From: "Alan Cook" <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com>
To: michael-AT-michaeljdixon.com
Date: Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:25:46 GMT
Cc: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: [Puptcrit] Howdy #1 photo


Thanks, Michael Dixon. for posting the Howdy #1 photo on puptcrit. Longtime readers of Puppetry Journal got to see pictures of Howdy #1, probably in 1948 or so. (It really pays to belong to Puppeteers of America).

The negative was acquired from Frank Paris, and I went to a Pasadena CA photo lab to get a print made for the book.

When LIFE MAGAZINE ran a feature article on Howdy Doody #2, years ago, a reader sent a picture of Howdy #1 which appeared in the letters column.

To the end of his days, Buffalo Bob always referred to Howdy #1 as "Ugly Howdy Doody" ---another example of his remarkable failure to credit puppet folk who made him rich.

Buffalo claimed it was HIS efforts---that HE "spent years making that puppet famous"---there seemed to be a touch of envy. Well, maybe the 2 puppet versions had a little bit to do with the show's success?

At any rate, "Howdy Doody" was pretty much the only nationally seen kid show until Disney arrived with the Wonderful World of Disney TV show, perhaps the first infomercial, since it was at least partly a commercial for Disneyland. The Disney show had a bigger budget and a huge backlog of animated & live-actiion film.

That competition basically killed off Howdy, though there were return appearances from time to time.

One such appearance was on "Happy Days". A local birthday party pupeteer, Steven Zall aka Mr Frngey (he wore a glitzy fringed shirt) was asked to work Howdy for the show. Mr Fringey had never worked a marionette, so the night before, he took a crash course in marionette operation (are you sitting down?) from none other than Frank Paris in his North Hollywood home

Frank was dubious about a crash course being sufficient training for a national popular TV show. The next day, the show director came to the same conclusion. A phone call was made to Sky Highchief (aka Ralph Emory) formerly of NJ & NY who had once operated a Dorothy Zuconick marionette stand-in for Howdy (the stand-in swathed in bandages before the alleged plastic surgery which "transformed the old Howdy into the new-improved versiion".)
 
So Sky operated Howdy on "Happy Days" (hoping Buffalo Bob would be eternally grateful and hire him to operate Howdy on future occasions, of which there were none so far as I know.

And Mr Fringey has known Gary Marshall ever since that fateful day.

So now the cat is out of the bag, and you all know that Howdy #2 visited the home of Frank Paris who created Howdy #1.

When Puppet Playhouse began in December 1947, the first show was estimated to have cost $500. Because of a snowstorm in NYC, Bob Keeshan (also working as an NBC page) did not make it for the first show, and Frank Paris' puppets (all cast members of his "TOBY!" show, based on the kids' book, TOBY TYLER OF THE CIRCUS which had toured 2 years in the USA & Canada,---well,  the puppets arrived at the studio by cab. It was very informal for a begnning.)

Say, puptcritters, what time is it? It's time to spread some credit around.

ALAN COOK

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