Howdy, Lucky.

The original HOWDY DOODY meets the original LUCKY STIFF in a no-strings-barred dummy-off! Actually, this was in 1990, where OLGA puppeteered Howdy opposite BUFFALO BOB on the SALLY JESSE RAPHAEL SHOW (produced by the legendary Burt Dubrow). Others on the show included Bob McGrath (Sesame Street) and SOUPY SALES. We designed the puppet stage to sit on top of the piano, so Buffalo Bob could play and sing and converse with Mr. Doody. It was an honor and a pleasure and great fun, too. I mean, the ORIGINAL HOWDY DOODY! I be looking for a clip to post. . .

Lucky Stiff was a featured player on our weekly FOX series, The DJ KAT Show.

I played BRACKISH SWAMPWATER, a Villianous Ventriloquist who was after DJ Kat's job as host of the show.

Always had a soft spot in my head for dummies. . .

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!!!!

HALLOWEEN was always big around my apartment growing up. Dad was a professional make-up artist and when he'd come home from work on All Hallow's Eve, kids would be lined up out the door and down the stairs (we lived on the 6th floor) for Dad to make them up.

My favorite make-up for many years was EMMETT KELLY, the famous sad-faced hobo. One time the Community Center across from my building was having a Halloween Costume Party and my dad couldn't be home in time, so I went into his make-up kit (unleashing that gloriously pungent-fresh-from-vaudeville grease paint smell!) and did my first make-up. I won First Prize, too. I was 6. . .

I always liked portraying different people and things. That's why puppets and puppetry suit me like a glove. If I saw something or someone I liked, I had to be it or them. Guess I was an early Zelig-teer!

Like, Steve McQueen as Josh Randall in "WANTED- DEAD OR ALIVE"

Who's cooler? Him or me?

Or CHUCK McCANN. Boy I wanted to be him. We even have the same initials!

SOUPY SALES was another fave wannabe. . .

I guess you never have to outgrow it. . .

My friend PAUL RUBIN and I used to dress like LAUREL AND HARDY and perform at schools and events as the duo (I was Chubby Ollie). We even made several TV appearances. . .

The zombie in the middle is JOE FRANKLIN.

In (very) High School we put on attic shows as THE MARX BROTHERS

I'm GROUCHO (and the red-eyed fella in the red was (nay IS!) DUG COHEN - - soon to become my partner in the MARKO PUPPET THEATRE.

I carried this joi-de-make-believe into adulthood, and played the villianous ventriloquist BRACKISH SWAMPWATER on my FOX series DJ KAT.

Have a wonderful OctoBoo 31, 2009.

THE DJ KAT SHOW

This was kind've a dream-come-true project. My own show from the same studio my heroes did their own shows from - - WNEW Channel 5 (though now it was WNYW-5 - a FOX O&O.)

We were on Sunday mornings from 9:00 - 10:00, and won awards and our time slot. In fact the station noticed that when our stuff was on the ratings did very well, but when we cut to a cartoon the kids cut out. So after about 7 weeks, we abandonded the cartoons and went to a straight comedy/fantasy format. DJ KAT starred along side his young girl companion Jennifer Davis (Carmen De La Paz.) Judging by the viewer mail, many in the audience would have liked to be along side his young girl companion too..

Like Sandy Becker portrayed HAMBONE. . .
. . .and Chuck McCann played LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE (definately more on this in the future!). . . . . . I also played several on-camera characters. One audience favorite was BRACKISH SWAMPWATER the villainous ventriloquist, aided and abetted by his wa-a-ay smarter cohort LUCKY STIFF. It was great to do ventriloquism on a kid show; didn't seem to be anyone one else doing it at that time.

(My make-up artists were CARMEN GEBBIA and JIM COLA, the same guys who did Sandy & Soupy & Chuck. Lots of great make-up chair stories!)

The series was an MGM production: that stands for MIDAS GELT MERKLE. Mr. Merkle was the station owner who was always trying to get rid of the Kat. One of the reasons the show came from a "basement" is because he was allergic to kids - - er - - kats.

Mister Merkle calls for help in dumping the Kat.

After winning the New York State Broadcasters Award for Outstanding Children's Series, FOX decided to cancel the Sunday show, and they asked Carmen to leave (which I wasn't too happy about!) and wanted me to create the first FOX KID'S CLUB. So now we were on daily from 3:00 - 6:00 hosting cartoons. It was a softer show, but fun, too.
I really enjoyed working at Channel 5 - - fulfilling that part of my destiny, and having an impact on children's television.

Watching playback.