One Of TV’s Most Memorable Moments…Clarabell’s Goodbye

On February 20, 2015 - TV History


One Of TV’s Most Memorable Moments…Clarabell’s Goodbye

Until those awful days in Dallas in 1963, September 24, 1960 was television’s most memorable moment…at least for us kids who watched ‘Howdy Doody’ every Saturday morning.

Although the show went color on September 12, 1955 from Studio 3K, this is the only color footage of the show I have ever seen. For many years, this tape was lost but was finally found and restored.

The final episode was a special hour long show and in this ultra rare clip, we see the beginning and end, and even hear audio from the control room crew at the very top as they prepared for Episode 2,343…the grand finale. Notice on the ending promos, ‘The Sheri Lewis Show’ was the replacement for Howdy.

Lou Anderson, the third and final actor to play Clarabell, has a surprise for us, and that was the episode title…”Clarabell’s Big Surprise”.

Just as I remember where I was on November 23, 1963, I remember this. I was 10 years old, laying on the couch in our Atlanta home, still dressed in my pajamas. When Clarabell spoke, there was tear in my eye. Some good friends were gone.

What about you? Where were you and how did you feel that morning?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ6ybvlsb4s

Broadcasted on September 24, 1960. The hour-long episode was mostly a fond look-back at all the highlights of the show’s past, but in the midst of it all, Cl…

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12 Comments

  1. Dave Sica February 22, 2015

    I would have been five years old so I must have watched Howdy Doody, although I have no strong recollections about it. I do remember being a fan of Shari Lewis, which started after Howdy ended. And yeah, Clarabell’s farewell was pretty poignant.

  2. Lisa J. Kassner February 21, 2015

    I saw it on TV over the air.. I was age 10.. It moved me… I cried…

  3. Ryan Zwolinski February 21, 2015

    Nice to hear the late legendary voice of “SNL” himself, Don Pardo doing the bumpers inbetween the final broadcast of “Howdy Doody”.

  4. Norman Wallerstein February 21, 2015

    I was 13 years old, and felt that I was a bit too old for Howdy and Buffalo Bob,but I tuned in for the show and felt a bit sad about its passing. After all, I watched it daily through much of the 1950’s. So I did kind of feel that some good TV friends were going away. Sad. And by the way, I didn’t watch it in color.

  5. Kevin T. Doherty February 20, 2015

    Yes, I watched it too and was quite sad that day. Was it the only NBC kiddie show in color?

  6. Bill Golden February 20, 2015

    Slight correction: President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963

  7. Randy Stewart February 20, 2015

    I was three years old and I have no memory of Howdy Doody… but I definitely remember Shari & Lambchop! Sounds like Bob Waldrop doing the live tag at the end promoing Shari Lewis and “International Velvet”.

  8. Ray Duke February 20, 2015

    I remember that day. It was my 6th birthday and I recall being very upset about the show ending.

  9. David Jackino February 20, 2015

    Wasn’t born yet, but I have seen this clip on YouTube.

  10. Gary Walters February 20, 2015

    I watched also that morning.

  11. Dennis Degan February 20, 2015

    I watched it too, in black & white of course.

  12. Jim De Francesco February 20, 2015

    Wow… Thank you very much for the posts!