It’s Howdy Doody Time??? The X Rated, Ultimate Inside Story!
It’s Howdy Doody Time??? The X Rated, Ultimate Inside Story!
This is the only place you will ever read about of some of the backstage shenanigans on the world’s most famous kids show. Let me start by saying that these things only happened in rehearsals. When children were on the set, everything was squeaky clean and on the up and up, but…it was a different story when they weren’t.
What follows is a first hand account from our old friend Frank Merklien who started as an NBC cameraman in March of 1948. Till 1961, Frank worked almost every show and was one of the first to work at NBC’s first color studio at The Colonial Theater. He was on Camera 2 on the ‘Today’ show’s debut and shot Howdy Doody in black and white and color.
Both events took place long before anyone had ever even thought of sexual harassment, so with the stage set, here we go, and speaking of stages…that’s where part one takes place. Although the show started in Studio 3H, Howdy was done from 8G for a few weeks for some updates in 3H.
It seems that the puppet stage was put up in front of a window in 8G that tour guides liked to bring visitors to. For that week, it blocked the view of the studio as the raised stage, the puppet masters stood on, backed up almost to it and on their first day in 8G, everybody on the tour got a real eye full! The very tall Dayton Allen played Pierre The Chef and was the voice of Mr. Bluster. The very short Rhoda Mann was then the voice of Howdy. As they stood on the raised platform, the ever playful comedian that he was, Dayton Allen introduced Rhoda and Howdy to “Mr. Ding Dong”. Yes. He whipped it out. As fate would have it, naturally there was a tour group outside the window and as the story goes, the female page leading the very surprised group fainted. Both Mann and Allen were fired on the spot by Buffalo Bob.
Speaking of Buffalo Bob Smith, he had a playful streak too! Usually the straight arrow, Bob had one favorite target…the production secretary. Live spots were a fact of life and occasionally had to be done from a set behind the camera that faced away from the kids. It so happened that one of these had to be done with Bob seated to the left of a prop with the product in his left hand. The newly rewritten script was being held by the production secretary who was sitting to the left of Bob, and very close. As he read the script live into a tightly framed shot, he put his right hand on her leg and began moving it up, ever so slowly. It was a two page script and, since she was using both hands, could not stop the advancing hand, or so Bob thought. She managed to give him a good stomping with her left high heel and he let out a surprised yelp. Only the production secretary, the host and the cameraman, our buddy Frank, ever knew why.
Up top is Dayton Allen as Pierre The Chef, in the center Rhoda Mann and on the bottom, an Allan character colage from other shows.
Whoa! Dayton Allen from Winky Dink. The 4 pictures on the right. Correct?
Thank you Dennis!
When I was fortunate to share a dinner table with both Bob and Morey Amsterdam in 1991, not only was it pure bliss and non-stop laughter, but Bob told us some of the rehearsal stories. My sides still hurt.
So you are telling us that Rhoda was the voice of Howdy and not Bob Smith?
Bobby would you sometime post the naming convention at 30 rock. Is there an 8A – F? Why are there A and B on some floors and seemingly not on others. Thanks.
On a similar note, I understand that there are some fabulous and awful rehearsals/outtakes from The Muppet Show, too, in the 80s. Rumor has it that X-rated banter between Miss Piggy (Frank Oz) and guest star Vincent Price is classic, but I can’t learn if a recording exists or not. Do you know?
I have been told that at some point in its history Howdy Doody was shot up on 106th and Park Ave at what is now called Metropolis Studios. When I first worked there in the 1980’s the building was full of old film “vaults”. They were specially vented compartmentalized rooms to deal with fumes given off by the nitrate films. Any history of that facility would be appreciated.