This is another of those Movies I’d Never Heard Of. It’s a coming-of-age story set in a small town in Montana in the late Sixties about two brothers, one a teenager and the other a five-year-old who’s obsessed with the puppet mascot of a local kid’s TV show. I thought the plot was going to go one way, but it went another instead, which is always a nice thing. I was also glad to see such stalwart character actors as Peter Scolari and Clint Howard making appearances. The movie’s really sweet, but some domestic drama involving the kids’ father (played by William Baldwin) gives it a slight edge in places. The host of the TV show is played by Henry Winkler, who will always be the Fonz to me, no matter who he’s playing.
Mainly, though, this post is an excuse for me to talk about the local kid shows of my youth. When I was six or seven, I was a big fan of a show that featured a couple of puppets named Mickey and Amanda Mud Turtle. A few years later, Amanda left and was replaced by a character named Michelle Mud Turtle. I saw them in person several times when they made public appearances at various churches. Some of my Facebook friends who grew up around here at the same time remember Mickey and Amanda/Michelle, which is good because otherwise I might think I imagined them. There’s no footage of them on YouTube, which surprises me a little.
You can find clips on YouTube from Slam Bang Theater, my other favorite, though. The host of that was known as Icky Twerp. He was really an actor named Bill Camfield, who also played Gorgon, the host of Nightmare Theater, the weekly Saturday night horror movie on Channel 11. I’ve posted clips of Camfield as Gorgon before, but I don’t think I’ve posted any of his work as Icky Twerp. Well, we’re going to remedy that:
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7 comments:
James, You have introduced Icky Twerp to my vocabulary. I was clueless. My generation was Mister Rogers and Captain Kangaroo.
We got the twisted stuff off to a start here with Froggy the Gremlin on ANDY'S GANG.
Jeff M.
I wasn't a kid anymore, but I remember liking Soupy Sales (1959-1962).
I was a big Soupy Sales fan, too. Captain Kangaroo was already on when I was a kid, but for some reason I never watched him much, probably because I was watching Icky Twerp on the other channel. Mister Rogers was my younger daughter's favorite. We would record the episode that ran in the morning, and she would watching it five or six more times during the day.
Kid shows have deep loyalties.
I produced the film A Plumm Summer in Montana and was pleasantly amazed at how strongly the population of that state felt about a kid's show that had been off the air since 1968. Happy Herb and Froggy Doo had been a staple in the lives of two generations, and the love they had for this dynamic duo hadn't dissipated one bit. When we needed 500 Extras for a scene in Livingston, they came out in droves, and were the most wonderful people you could work with. Even the Governor and hte real Happy Herb were there. If you live in Montana you might recognize the Governor played the Sheriff. Anyways... thanks Rough Edges for watching the film.
Frank,
Many thanks for your comment. Being from another part of the country, I'd never heard of Froggy Doo, but after seeing the movie I had to look up the background and find out more about what really happened. You did a fine job turning it into a movie.
I remember when there were local shows for kids and our favorite was Sally Starr Theater, where Sally. in her cowgirl outfit. showed cowboy movies. Also Soupy Sales and Kukla, Fran and Olly, which I barely remember.
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