Hey Bud, Whatcha Lookin' At?

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(For the Icky Twerp video scroll down to the Slam Bang Theater section.)

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HEY BUD, WHATCHA LOOKIN' AT?

Local TV of the 50s and 60s

Remember those two little guys - the "ones" from Channel 11?

One would kick the other and ask "Hey Bud whatcha lookin' at?" The other would reply "Channel 11" and the first would finish with "Umm, umm. Good lookin'!"

If you even slightly recall those little guys, then wait til you see what we've put together now...

During our school years from the mid-fifties through 1966, there were only four TV stations available. And yet, there always seemed to be something good to watch. From kid shows to news Channels 4, 5, 8 and 11 kept the entertainment coming.

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KID SHOWS

We discovered early on that if you stared at the Indian in the test pattern long enough, Cartoon Carnival would come on.

"Mickey and Amanda say, Happy Birthday". Every day some lucky DFW kid would have Mickey Mudturtle and Amanda Possum sing the birthday song just for them.

Above: Officer Friendly and Jimmy Duck ("Jimmy Duck go waddle-waddle"), and a rare photo of that other Dallas duck - Wester Webfoot with his owner Jimmy Weldon and a female admirer.

And the King of Kid Shows...

Bill Camfield was all over the place for Channel 11. He hosted Nightmare, the morning news show Reveille, played the Texas Consumer Finance Guy and most importantly to us - was Icky Twerp. Along with his two simian sidekicks Ajax and Delphinium (middle left) Mr. Twerp introduced us all to the subtle artistry of The Three Stooges.

Dim lights

CLICK HERE FOR A SPECIAL VIDEO TRIBUTE TO ICKY TWERP AND SLAM BANG THEATER!

Other local kid shows included Cap'n Swabby, Uncle Tiny, Romper Room, Captain Bob, Kitty's Wonderland and The Bobby Peters Jamboree.

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Sump'n Else

Ron Chapman hosted this live, after-school dance show five days a week on Channel 8 from 1965 to 1968. He was also "Irving Harrigan" on KLIF's wildly popular morning radio show "Charlie and Harrigan".

OTHER LOCAL DANCE AND MUSIC SHOWS INCLUDED

"The Group and Chapman", "Panther A-Go-Go", "Top Ten Dance Party", "Dallas Bandstand", "Big D Jamboree", "Cowtown Jamboree", "The Continental Teen Club" and "The Cowboy Weaver Show"

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NIGHTMARE

Starting in the late 50s, Saturday night at 8PM found us huddled in front of the TV watching Bill Camfield as "Gorgon" the host of the spooky movies on Channel 11.

Along with standard haunted house thrillers, Nightmare presented the best of the Universal library flicks - Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, The Invisible Man and The Mummy.

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Or Wrasslin'?

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News, Weather and Sports

Bill Mercer (left) and colleague in the mid-60s. Mercer was a prolific sports announcer for baseball, football, basketball and probably every other sport ever invented, but he holds a special place in our hearts for his work on Wrestling from the Sportatorium.

Here's that man again. Bill Camfield, on the right, hosted Channel 11's morning news and talk show Reveille through the early 60s.

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AND OTHER LOCAL TV SHOWS...

Two daily line-ups from the mid-60s

On the left from 1957 and on the right - Thanksgiving Day 1960.

The Julie Benell Cooking Show on Channel 8 ran for two decades. It was during her show on November 22, 1963, that the station broke in to give the first announcement anywhere about the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

The ads above are from the mid-50s.

David Wade as "The Gourmet" had another long running show.

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AND DON'T FORGET THE OTHER GREAT KID SHOWS FROM THE NATIONAL NETWORKS...