Milwaukee TV History: Kids Klub Article

[John L]

Check this link out. It was featured on the Road Runner Website concerning locally produced Children's Programs during the 50s and 60s on Milwaukee TV.

http://www.onmilwaukee.com/ent/articles/kidsk.html?cb_id=5

-John L.

[Gregg Lengling]

Yeah "Roll em Lester!".

[Dick Nitelinger]

Interesting piece.

A friend of mine has the Pops record, and the guy who did the digital clean-up of the Nightmare Theatre audio on my website also did side one of that 45. (We're working on side 2, which may be unplayable.) You can hear it at:

http://www.toontracker.com/milwaukee/pops.htm

Ron (who's a member here) has a great site!

- Dick    

:wave:

http://www.milwaukee-horror-hosts.com

[Talos4]

I remeber being on Funny Farm with my Cub scout pack.

My favorite show was Cartoon Alley with Rocky and Albert.

It seems the longer I hang around this neighborhood  the more people keep reminding me how old I'm supposed to be.:blush:

[yaderhey]

Just to clarify, this article wasn't exactly posted on the Time Warner site.  Technically, it's cobranded content from OnMilwaukee.com (the company which I co-founded and co-own).

The articles you see on the Road Runner start page are five daily selected articles from OnMilwaukee.com.

Regardless, glad you're reading them!

Thanks,
Andy Tarnoff
OnMilwaukee.com

[Kevin Arnold]

Anyone remember Captain WITI?  Of course he was on channel 6 in the afternoons. I remember going down to the 35th street studios to be in the audience. I think it was Jack Dublon but memory fades. On TV in glorious black and white.

[Dick Nitelinger]

Kevin,

Capt. WITI was not Jack DuBlon. In fact, if you go to my website, select the Nightmare Theatre audio page, and select show number 581 (I don't know if it's in the first or second segment) you'll hear Jack use the character as a trivia question!

Anyone have futher information on this show? Please contact me if you do!

WITI's original kids' show featured entertainer Billy Bishop as "Billy Bounce" and his bunny friend Witi. Anyone remeber that show?

Thanks!

- Dick  :wave:

http://www.milwaukee-horror-hosts.com

[John L]

According to my TV Guide edition of October 31 to November 6, 1959, WITI-TV aired "Captain WITI" at 5:30 pm weekdays Mon-Fri.  WITI-TV was already a CBS affilate.  WITI-TV's address in the TV Guide was listed as 5445 N. 27th St. in which the channel moved into that address after WXIX, ch. 18 moved out to 509 W. Wisconsin Ave and became a independent after they lost the CBS affiliation earlier that year.

Now my question is, how was "Captain WITI" pro-nounced?  "Captain Witty"? or "Captain W.I.T.I"?

-John L.

[Kevin Arnold]

I remember it as "Captain witty" but if it wasn't Dublon I am clueless.  I remember the character as a dark haired, thin, and fairly young actor with a smooth baritone voice. I was trying to remember the cartoons they featured and Popeye comes to mind. A long, long time ago in another galaxy......

[Dick Nitelinger]

I haven't been able to determine who played Captain WITI, but will be asking some folks who might know sometime during the next couple of days.

As I was researching another topic this afternoon, I did spend a few minutes looking up the dates the show ran. WITI ran the show at 5:30 pm from Monday, 14 September 1959 through Friday, 26 February 1960.  I believe that the show featured Popeye cartoons.

It was replaced with "Roy the Cabin Boy".

This was the first new season following Storer's purchase of the station and subsequent affiliation with CBS.

- Dick :wave:
   http://www.milwaukee-horror-hosts.com

[tazman]

Ya I remember all the late Friday and and Saturday nights I stayed up when I was a Kid in the late 50's and early 60's getting the you know what scared out of me.  Just as a side note Shopko in West Bend had a DVD sale not to long ago where they had the original Thirteen Ghosts "B" movie on DVD along with the recent remake of the movie.  I wish I would have bought it.  

I always liked Albert the alley cat and his side kick Ward Allen.  I'm sure every one knows how the Rocky character came to be.  I also was on one of those shows when I was a kid but it's been to long to remember if it was the Funny Farm, or Bozo the clown show.  I think it was when I was in scouts as well.

[Dick Nitelinger]

Here's an ad for the show.

Credit if used should be to Hal Erickson and Dick Nitelinger.


Enjoy!

- Dick
   http://www.milwaukee-horror-hosts.com

[Dick Nitelinger]

I have a new page which discusses the early WITI kids' shows (1956-60) to my website. It is linked to the page which discusses Cartoon Alley and the other Jack DuBlon shows. It's in the first paragraph of that page.

More details will be posted there as I get them.

Enjoy!

- Dick
   http://www.milwaukee-horror-hosts.com

[Dick Nitelinger]

I'm told that Captain WITI was played by Russ Whittow. My source thinks that he came from Green Bay, and returned there after his contract with WITI was up.

- Dick

http://www.milwaukee-horror-hosts.com

[Dick Nitelinger]

Actually, his last name was spelled "Widoe". Further information is now up on my website.

- Dick
   http://www.milwaukee-horror-hosts.com