Show Business: Bye-Bye Doody

For a lot of little Americans over the past 13 years, the characters of Dickens, Milne and Grimm have been less familiar than a TV puppet named Howdy Doody. After giving more performances than any show in the history of network television, NBC’s Howdy Doody last week left the air—going out with an hourlong, reminiscent spectacular. The final show (there will be filmed reruns) brought back such milestones in Howdy Doody’s career as the 1948 election campaign, when “the President of the Kids” solidly campaigned on a platform that promised two Christmases and one school day a year, more pictures in history books, double sodas for 10¢, plenty of movies and free lollipops.

A $2,000 cowboy marionette dressed in a plaid shirt, a kerchief and boots, Howdy Doody was mostly a 27-in. block of lemonwood. His voice was supplied by Actor Bob Smith, who also played Buffalo Bob, billed as “the great white chief of the Sigafoose Indians.” Perhaps even more than they will miss Howdy or Bob, U.S. kids will miss the mute clown, Clarabell, who always sounded a sweet horn to indicate “yes,” a sour one for “no” (the part, recently played by Lew Anderson, was originated by Bob Keeshan, who is the enduring star of CBS’s Captain Kangaroo). And with them all went a memorable list of supporting figures: Mr. Bluster, the puppet heavy (the children in the audience always booed and hissed); Dilly-Dally, the sad-sack tot; Flubadub, the curious crossbreed with a duck’s head, spaniel’s ears, giraffe’s neck, dachshund’s body, seal’s flippers, pig’s tail and the cat’s whiskers.

As Clarabell spoke—for the first time ever—to say “Goodbye, kids,” the show’s producer, Roger Muir, was grumbling offstage that sponsors were losing interest in kiddy shows, since children simply cannot offer much immediate return for the advertising dollar. But NBC is replacing the recently de-sponsored Howdy Doody with the National Biscuit Co.’s Shari Lewis. one of the best of children’s entertainers and to some, at least, a consolation for Howdy Doody’s last howdy.