60 years for ABC 4: Something for the kids

Updated: 5/07/2008 11:18 pm | Published: 5/07/2008 11:08 am

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(ABC 4 News)

Story by: Craig Wirth
news@abc4.com

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - One of the earliest recordings from 1948 is of a Channel 4 kids show.

When TV was young, it was how you started your day, or what you ran home to watch after school. Channel 4 was your TV uncle.

Later, it was Fireman Frank who captured the attention of young hearts and minds.

The early kid's local TV stars were heroes. Fireman Frank could draw a crowd where ever he went, and he always had a message: don’t play with matches...good advice in any era.

You joined captain KC’s Club promising to be truthful and help mom, making sure you wrote the good captain, who displayed your personal letter.

When Channel 4 was KCPX, there was also Captain Scotty. When he wasn’t in space, he was at the super market.

And on a special day you got to go actually see Captain Scotty, and there were astronauts, skippers, and firefighters, too.

And then two BYU students opened up a hotel named Balderdash. A generation grew up with Cannonball, Harvey and their sidekick Raymond.

The Hotel Balderdash guys did 480 shows a year, over 240 days of mornings and afternoons. How could three guys think of that much stuff to do?

Harvey says Raymond was a good source of material because he chewed Bazooka Bubble gum, and the trio got many of those corny kid jokes from the wrappers.

They taped five days of shows one night a week, with 100 kids crammed in the studio; 20 at a time for each show.

It was all good, clean kids entertainment, with sight gags and knock knock jokes.

It's hard for TV veterans to imagine those morning and afternoon shows would ever disappear. They were just so much a part of growing up.

Little remains of these shows. Video tape was too expensive not to re-use back then, and besides, there was always going to be another day, another show, and another 20 kids in the studio.

Gone are the days when local stars told a few jokes, promoted safety, took us to far-away places of our own imagination, and presented a few cartoons.

For many who grew up with television, it's too bad TV had to grow up, too.

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kbutler - 12/9/2011 12:03 PM

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When I was little my brothers, sister and I were on the Captain Scotty show. Then a few years later we were on the Fireman Frank show. Actually we were on The Fireman Frank show twice. I remember how hot the lights were when we on stage getting prizes. Then going back up in the seating area. About that time I also went on Romper room and met Miss Julie. I sat on the outside seat to the right of her. These and watching these shows in the morning then running home from school everyday to watch afternoon cartoons were some of my most memorable memories living in the Salt Lake valley growing up. Also, everytime I hear the Beach Boy song "Salt Lake City" i think of those Lagoon ads that ran all the time.

dmacut - 8/10/2008 3:56 PM

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I lived in Prescott, AZ as a toddler and used to watch the show Hotel Balderdash springboarded from, Wallace and Ladmo. When I moved to Salt Lake City, seeing the similarities between HB and W&L were multivarious and obvious. The root of the similarities is in the heart of the show, and the fact both shows provided great role models for kids. Unfortunately, guns and gore replced simple, innocent fun, and even shows like Sesame Street no longer provide innocent entertainment. Disney should be ashamed of the trash they release, but they are just another fascistic corporation. The last Sesame Street movie they put out was geared towards ten-year old street tramps. How many times I missed the schoolbubus because I was trying to catch more of Hotel Balderdash. Major kudos to all involved, and KTVX should be ashamed of the mindless drivel they now pass of as "children's entertainment".

moose77 - 6/11/2008 11:54 PM

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I was a HUGE fan of "Hotel Balderdash" from the time I started watching tv as a little kid until June 1979 when as a 10 1/2 year old, my family left Utah and moved to Washington State. In fact shortly before leaving Utah, I had a chance to meet Harvey, Cannonball, and Raymond at the Sears in Ogden during a meet-and-greet. The lines were long and the temperature was stifling hot, but the guys were just as nice as could be. I wish I still had my autographed photo! I actually found an email address a couple years back for Larry John in Arizona and he confirmed that he did play Cannonball. I also told him that Hotel Balderdash was a big part of my childhood (as well as many others, I'm sure!) and that I lamented that with the advent of The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, etc... that the daily hosted cartoon show was a thing of the past. It's unfortunate that my two sons never experienced it! I wish to pass along those same sentiments to Randy Lovoi and Charles LeSueur. Guys, thanks so much for all your work on Hotel Balderdash. It's something you all should be very proud of and it meant so much to us children of the 1970s. Gene Sentkowski Blaine, WA

Tamster - 5/12/2008 4:13 PM

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I feel like I just stepped out of a time machine. Problem is, there doesn't seem to be a way of getting and keeping the old footage, unless you have some idea how that may come about! I watched that stuff as a kid, I'm 46 now and can't believe how much I miss it. Any clue how we could get it to keep? Tami Jeppson jaetamira@yahoo.com

Raymond - 5/9/2008 7:58 PM

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Thanks to Craig and KTVX for such a great story. I can remember sitting with Larry John and Bill "Wallace" Thompson in the Phoenix studio of KPHO in the Spring of 1972, and Bill telling us that he would have loved to have a show named "Balderdash," and set it in a hotel with the guests as the characters. He told Larry and I to run with it. On September 11th, 1972, Larry became "Cannonball", Randy Lovoi became "Harvey," and Charles LeSueur became "Raymond" and we made our debut on KCPX (later to become KTVX), and were off and running for over a decade. I left the show in 1977, but returned in 1979. I still have people in Arizona where I live come up to me and say, "Hi, Raymond," even after all this time! Again, I give thanks to Craig for returning to those great times and bringing back such memories. This goes for all my other alter egos such as: Marvel Man, Auntie Mildred, and Maurice Sorryson, just to name a few. What fun it would be to, just once more, see what might come out of the "Boondoogle Box," and later the "Boondoogle Door," and give out one more "Harvey Bag," even though I was supposed to hate them! Or watch Harvey paint a "Harvey Humdinger." Or do a "Raymond's Corner," where I read some kid's complaint about me being so mean to Harvey. Or even have News Director, Art Kent, yell at us for messing up the dressing room with shaving cream after a pie fight routine. I recently spent some time with Wallace, in Phoenix, and he marveled how we would ad-lib five shows a week - we simply knew what each other was going to do by instinct. A special thanks to Cannonball and Harvey for all the great times, and especially to all of you who spent your mornings with us. It was a great time . . . and now let's go to a cartoon! Bwoooop!

Harvey - 5/9/2008 10:06 AM

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Thanks to all of you who made a comment regarding Craig's story. I thought it well produced for the time allowed. Thanks Cannonball for you kind words (I'm pretty sure not the original cannonball) but a Blogger name? I want you to know that it was a privilege working with the staff in those early years of TV. Dan Densley, Clay, Chad Booth, Kent Morgan, Danny Ranger, Hack Wolley, and most of all the talented Raymond and Cannonball. If it were not for the latter two being so talented in quick whit, comedy timing and understanding each character, the show would not have gone on. No bit was ever scripted more than an idea, each character had to anticipate what each others role was to get to the final outcome. I was honored to work with very talented partners that brought out the magic every morning and afternoon. Thanks Craig and Scott for the exposure for early TV kids shows and the memories for a very enjoyable time in my life. Harvey

Michal - 5/9/2008 9:57 AM

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I know 25 years ago many Mothers felt that hosted cartoon shows were bad for kids...it led to the removal of hosted cartoon shows and the introduction of a wealth of quality educational children's programing. Maybe there should have been room for both? Those were entertaining days...and yes Hotel Balderdash was an offshoot of Arizona's Wallace and Ladmo...with permission from Wallace. There was nothing quite like Hotel Balderdash...It was a high energy show and entertained on two levels...for adults and kids. It was great! There two albums have some of the most enjoyable children's music I have ever heard. Like the old cartoons many of the songs were funny, teasing, silly, and real.

majestikonyx - 5/8/2008 6:30 PM

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WOW, 25 years since Hotel Balderdash was on. I remember that show so well. People look at me funny when I ask if they remember that show. I am so glad that Channel 4 is bringing back these memories. Keep it up. That was fun to reminise.

mh1huff - 5/8/2008 4:40 PM

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I live in Arizona and "Hotel Balderdash" looks awfully similar to a show that ran during the 50's and into the late 80's Here in the Phoenix area called "The Wallace and Ladmo show." From the clips I saw of the Hotel Balderdash The Wallace and Ladmo show had nothing to worry about. It was an icon of a show not just in Arizona. Here are just a couple of links: http://www.wallaceandladmo.com/ http://www.geocities.com/hidenchef/WallaceandLadmo.html

Cannonball - 5/8/2008 12:05 PM

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Hotel Balderdash was the great kid's show ever produced. Those guys were extremely talented. I should know.

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