Street Gang (64 page)
Authors: Michael Davis
CHAPTER TWO
Interviews:
Over the course of five years the author conducted twelve interviews with Joan Ganz Cooney at her Sesame Workshop office and at her Manhattan home. Another twenty-two conversations were conducted by phone. In addition, Mrs. Cooney, early adapted to new media, provided many prompt answers to queries by e-mail. She confirmed all factual material in this largely biographical chapter.
Over the course of five years the author conducted twelve interviews with Joan Ganz Cooney at her Sesame Workshop office and at her Manhattan home. Another twenty-two conversations were conducted by phone. In addition, Mrs. Cooney, early adapted to new media, provided many prompt answers to queries by e-mail. She confirmed all factual material in this largely biographical chapter.
Additional Sources:
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes are from the author’s interviews, the Archive of American Television oral history DVDs, and
Children’s Television Workshop, The Early Years: An Oral History
by Robert Davidson (CTW, 1993).
CHAPTER THREEUnless otherwise noted, all quotes are from the author’s interviews, the Archive of American Television oral history DVDs, and
Children’s Television Workshop, The Early Years: An Oral History
by Robert Davidson (CTW, 1993).
1
Mr. Tatum provided and confirmed factual material about Arizona during the Great Depression. He also provided documentary evidence about the Ganz family’s history in Phoenix and the death of Sylvan Ganz.
Mr. Tatum provided and confirmed factual material about Arizona during the Great Depression. He also provided documentary evidence about the Ganz family’s history in Phoenix and the death of Sylvan Ganz.
5
Something quite foul was astir in Washington that year, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, a prophet of paranoia and a poisonous presence in the great hall’s chambers. Under his hand, the House Committee on Un-American Activities had already begun its witch hunt for alleged Communist infiltrators and sympathizers. One victim of the McCarthy era’s blacklisting of writers and performing artists would be Will Lee, a classically trained stage actor and teacher of actors who became Mr. Hooper on
Sesame Street
. During that shameful period in our history, Lee was stripped of his rights to appear onstage solely for his interest and participation in unpopular political causes. But as Bud Brown might have asked of his ninth graders, why is it that the very people sworn to defend our constitutional rights are first in line trying to deny them?
Something quite foul was astir in Washington that year, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, a prophet of paranoia and a poisonous presence in the great hall’s chambers. Under his hand, the House Committee on Un-American Activities had already begun its witch hunt for alleged Communist infiltrators and sympathizers. One victim of the McCarthy era’s blacklisting of writers and performing artists would be Will Lee, a classically trained stage actor and teacher of actors who became Mr. Hooper on
Sesame Street
. During that shameful period in our history, Lee was stripped of his rights to appear onstage solely for his interest and participation in unpopular political causes. But as Bud Brown might have asked of his ninth graders, why is it that the very people sworn to defend our constitutional rights are first in line trying to deny them?
8
Jacqueline Kaufman, “Success in the Media: Inventing the Right Niche,”
Management Review
, October 1985, 17.
Jacqueline Kaufman, “Success in the Media: Inventing the Right Niche,”
Management Review
, October 1985, 17.
10
Of his newspaper Swope once said to
Sun
columnist Hayward Broun, “What I try to do is to give the public part of what it needs and part of what it ought to have, whether it wants it or not.” Swope also said, “Pick the best story of the day and hammer the hell out of it. Don’t forget that the only two things people read in a story are the first and last sentences. Give the blood in the eye on their first one.”
Of his newspaper Swope once said to
Sun
columnist Hayward Broun, “What I try to do is to give the public part of what it needs and part of what it ought to have, whether it wants it or not.” Swope also said, “Pick the best story of the day and hammer the hell out of it. Don’t forget that the only two things people read in a story are the first and last sentences. Give the blood in the eye on their first one.”
11
About two months after starting at RCA, Cooney got a call from Lester Markel, Sunday editor at the
Times
. “He said I could write for the women’s page, but that was easy to turn down,” Cooney said. “I knew I wasn’t going to get the kind of assignments I had at the
Republic
, and I wasn’t about to go back to writing wedding announcements.” Had she accepted the job offer, “I might have been Charlotte Curtis,” she said years later, with a smile.
About two months after starting at RCA, Cooney got a call from Lester Markel, Sunday editor at the
Times
. “He said I could write for the women’s page, but that was easy to turn down,” Cooney said. “I knew I wasn’t going to get the kind of assignments I had at the
Republic
, and I wasn’t about to go back to writing wedding announcements.” Had she accepted the job offer, “I might have been Charlotte Curtis,” she said years later, with a smile.
12
Though perpetually at odds with RCA chairman Sarnoff, who was always more concerned with the commerce of television than its content, Weaver institutionalized much of what Americans have come to expect from a network programming day. For the breakfast table, he concocted
Today
, an easily digestible mix of news, information, and entertainment. For a midday break, Weaver mounted
Home
, an ambitious and intelligently rendered magazine program for women. In prime time, Weaver pioneered the ninety-minute “spectacular,” and at bedtime, he all but invented late-night TV, with Steve Allen’s
Tonight
show. And yet, at the peak of his influence and success, Sarnoff dismissed Weaver, a stunning disappointment to those who served alongside him at NBC. Cooney, perhaps because she saw Sarnoff socially on the weekends and did not fear being fired for posing a blunt question, buttonholed the General to ask why he terminated the network’s programming genius. Cooney said, “I’ll never forget his answer: ‘He was spending me into bankruptcy.’”
Though perpetually at odds with RCA chairman Sarnoff, who was always more concerned with the commerce of television than its content, Weaver institutionalized much of what Americans have come to expect from a network programming day. For the breakfast table, he concocted
Today
, an easily digestible mix of news, information, and entertainment. For a midday break, Weaver mounted
Home
, an ambitious and intelligently rendered magazine program for women. In prime time, Weaver pioneered the ninety-minute “spectacular,” and at bedtime, he all but invented late-night TV, with Steve Allen’s
Tonight
show. And yet, at the peak of his influence and success, Sarnoff dismissed Weaver, a stunning disappointment to those who served alongside him at NBC. Cooney, perhaps because she saw Sarnoff socially on the weekends and did not fear being fired for posing a blunt question, buttonholed the General to ask why he terminated the network’s programming genius. Cooney said, “I’ll never forget his answer: ‘He was spending me into bankruptcy.’”
13
All factual information in this section about Sylvan Ganz’s death: “Sylvan Ganz Dies of Shotgun Wound,”
Arizona Republic
, June 19, 1956.
All factual information in this section about Sylvan Ganz’s death: “Sylvan Ganz Dies of Shotgun Wound,”
Arizona Republic
, June 19, 1956.
Interviews:
Substantial assistance for the portions of this chapter dealing with
Captain Kangaroo
came from Bob Colleary, Sam Gibbon, Beverley Stone, Tom Whedon, and Norton Wright, all of whom worked on the series. Gibbon, a onetime production assistant on
Howdy Doody
, provided background on that series. The author is indebted to two of Dave Connell’s surviving children, Alan and Jan, for providing a bounty of documentary and anecdotal material about their father’s career and personal life. This book is all the richer for their generous cooperation.
Substantial assistance for the portions of this chapter dealing with
Captain Kangaroo
came from Bob Colleary, Sam Gibbon, Beverley Stone, Tom Whedon, and Norton Wright, all of whom worked on the series. Gibbon, a onetime production assistant on
Howdy Doody
, provided background on that series. The author is indebted to two of Dave Connell’s surviving children, Alan and Jan, for providing a bounty of documentary and anecdotal material about their father’s career and personal life. This book is all the richer for their generous cooperation.
Additional Sources:
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes are from the author’s interviews, the Archive of American Television oral history DVDs, and
Children’s Television Workshop, The Early Years: An Oral History
by Robert Davidson (CTW, 1993). Jon Stone’s unpublished memoir was an invaluable resource for the biographical passages about him. All quotes, unless otherwise noted, come from this autobiographical work.
CHAPTER FOURUnless otherwise noted, all quotes are from the author’s interviews, the Archive of American Television oral history DVDs, and
Children’s Television Workshop, The Early Years: An Oral History
by Robert Davidson (CTW, 1993). Jon Stone’s unpublished memoir was an invaluable resource for the biographical passages about him. All quotes, unless otherwise noted, come from this autobiographical work.
1
In the age before videotape revolutionized production, performers didn’t blink at being asked to do back-to-back broadcasts, but never back-to-back-to-back shows. Children in the Pacific time zone would settle for kinescopes of
Captain Kangaroo
-filmed versions of the show made from the image on the picture tube.
In the age before videotape revolutionized production, performers didn’t blink at being asked to do back-to-back broadcasts, but never back-to-back-to-back shows. Children in the Pacific time zone would settle for kinescopes of
Captain Kangaroo
-filmed versions of the show made from the image on the picture tube.
2
The Captain was originally imagined as a museum watchman, a job Keeshan’s father once held.
The Captain was originally imagined as a museum watchman, a job Keeshan’s father once held.
4
CBS press release quoted in Dennis McLellan, “Bob Keeshan, 76; Entertained Millions as TV’s Captain Kangaroo,”
Los Angeles Times,
January 24, 2004.
CBS press release quoted in Dennis McLellan, “Bob Keeshan, 76; Entertained Millions as TV’s Captain Kangaroo,”
Los Angeles Times,
January 24, 2004.
5
A good number of the biographical quotes used in this and succeeding chapters came from
Good Morning Captain: 50 Wonderful Years with Bob Keeshan
(Minneapolis: Fairview Press, 1996), a trade-paper trove of material for fans of the show. Keeshan and Cathryn Long coauthored the book.
A good number of the biographical quotes used in this and succeeding chapters came from
Good Morning Captain: 50 Wonderful Years with Bob Keeshan
(Minneapolis: Fairview Press, 1996), a trade-paper trove of material for fans of the show. Keeshan and Cathryn Long coauthored the book.
6
Ibid., 10.
Ibid., 10.
7
The Museum of Broadcast Communications, “Keeshan, Bob,”
www.museum.tv/archives/etv/K/htmlK/keeshanbob/keeshanbob.htm
.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications, “Keeshan, Bob,”
www.museum.tv/archives/etv/K/htmlK/keeshanbob/keeshanbob.htm
.
10
Long before the advent of the media beat at newspapers and magazines, Jack Gould was covering the television industry and criticizing its programming, in a manner that was tough but fair, clear, engaging, and exactingly reported. Gould’s career and gutsy body of work figure prominently in the history of
Sesame Street
. Today’s media bloggers and critics would do well to read the instructive and provocative
Watching Television Come of Age: The New York Times Reviews by Jack Gould
(Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002), a collection of his work edited by his son Lewis L. Gould. This excerpt was taken from “Hail Howdy Doody! He Triumphs over Mr. X, Survives Mr. Y and Always Delights the Youngsters,” 164.
Long before the advent of the media beat at newspapers and magazines, Jack Gould was covering the television industry and criticizing its programming, in a manner that was tough but fair, clear, engaging, and exactingly reported. Gould’s career and gutsy body of work figure prominently in the history of
Sesame Street
. Today’s media bloggers and critics would do well to read the instructive and provocative
Watching Television Come of Age: The New York Times Reviews by Jack Gould
(Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002), a collection of his work edited by his son Lewis L. Gould. This excerpt was taken from “Hail Howdy Doody! He Triumphs over Mr. X, Survives Mr. Y and Always Delights the Youngsters,” 164.
12
Ibid.
Ibid.
15
Wolters, “Mistress of ‘Ding Dong School.’”
Wolters, “Mistress of ‘Ding Dong School.’”
16
The Grady College of Journalism and Communication at the University of Georgia conducts an annual competition to determine the best in electronic media.
Captain Kangaroo
won in 1957.
The Grady College of Journalism and Communication at the University of Georgia conducts an annual competition to determine the best in electronic media.
Captain Kangaroo
won in 1957.
18
It is the author’s fond wish that Jon Stone’s memoir will one day be published and appreciated for its insights, heart, and great good humor.
It is the author’s fond wish that Jon Stone’s memoir will one day be published and appreciated for its insights, heart, and great good humor.
20
Ibid., 59.
Ibid., 59.
22
Gerald S. Lesser,
Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street
(New York: Random House, 1974), 4.
Gerald S. Lesser,
Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street
(New York: Random House, 1974), 4.
Interviews:
Joan Cooney, Cynthia P. Deutsch, Linda Gottlieb, Lloyd Morrisett, and Richard Heffner provided essential testimony about this crucial stage in
Sesame Street
’s development.
Joan Cooney, Cynthia P. Deutsch, Linda Gottlieb, Lloyd Morrisett, and Richard Heffner provided essential testimony about this crucial stage in
Sesame Street
’s development.
Additional Sources:
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes are from the author’s interviews, the Archive of American Television oral history DVDs, and
Children’s Television Workshop, The Early Years: An Oral History
by Robert Davidson (CTW, 1993).
CHAPTER FIVEUnless otherwise noted, all quotes are from the author’s interviews, the Archive of American Television oral history DVDs, and
Children’s Television Workshop, The Early Years: An Oral History
by Robert Davidson (CTW, 1993).
1
Much thanks is due to Karen King, assistant curator at the National Public Broadcasting Archives at the University of Maryland-College Park, for providing access to hundreds of records documenting the development of the Children’s Television Workshop and
Sesame Street
.
Much thanks is due to Karen King, assistant curator at the National Public Broadcasting Archives at the University of Maryland-College Park, for providing access to hundreds of records documenting the development of the Children’s Television Workshop and
Sesame Street
.
2
This was a historic moment in that it marked the first time the word
research
was used in the same sentence with the show that would become
Sesame Street
, perhaps the most vigorously researched, vetted, and fretted-over program on the planet. It would take a forklift now to haul away the load of scholarly paper devoted to the series over nearly forty years.
This was a historic moment in that it marked the first time the word
research
was used in the same sentence with the show that would become
Sesame Street
, perhaps the most vigorously researched, vetted, and fretted-over program on the planet. It would take a forklift now to haul away the load of scholarly paper devoted to the series over nearly forty years.
6
A six-paragraph report of the nuptials in the following Sunday’s
New York Times
indicated the groom had graduated from Columbia College and the bride was a member of the Junior League of Phoenix. “Joan Ganz Married to Timothy Cooney,” February 23, 1964.
A six-paragraph report of the nuptials in the following Sunday’s
New York Times
indicated the groom had graduated from Columbia College and the bride was a member of the Junior League of Phoenix. “Joan Ganz Married to Timothy Cooney,” February 23, 1964.
8
Carnegie Commission on Educational Television, Public Television: A Program for Action
(New York: Bantam Books, 1967), 95.
Carnegie Commission on Educational Television, Public Television: A Program for Action
(New York: Bantam Books, 1967), 95.
9
Joan Ganz Cooney, “A Report to the Carnegie Corporation of New York on the Potential Uses of Television in Preschool Education.”
Joan Ganz Cooney, “A Report to the Carnegie Corporation of New York on the Potential Uses of Television in Preschool Education.”
10
Ibid.
Ibid.
11
Ibid.
Ibid.
12
This passage is from a eulogy Joan Ganz Cooney gave as part of a Lewis Freedman memorial service on September 11, 1992.
This passage is from a eulogy Joan Ganz Cooney gave as part of a Lewis Freedman memorial service on September 11, 1992.
Interviews:
Brian Henson, Cheryl Henson, Jane Henson, Lisa Henson, Karen Falk, Mac McGarry, Arthur Novell, Frank Oz, Craig Shemin, and Beverley Stone.
Brian Henson, Cheryl Henson, Jane Henson, Lisa Henson, Karen Falk, Mac McGarry, Arthur Novell, Frank Oz, Craig Shemin, and Beverley Stone.
Additional Sources:
The Jim Henson Company provided a DVD of clips from
Sam and Friends
. The La Choy dragon commercial is available for viewing online at
www.youtube
. com. Finally, one of the most insightful Henson interviews ever undertaken was conducted in 1982 by Judy Harris for
Cinefantastique
magazine. It is archived at the Muppet Central Web site,
http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/jim1.shtml
.
The Jim Henson Company provided a DVD of clips from
Sam and Friends
. The La Choy dragon commercial is available for viewing online at
www.youtube
. com. Finally, one of the most insightful Henson interviews ever undertaken was conducted in 1982 by Judy Harris for
Cinefantastique
magazine. It is archived at the Muppet Central Web site,
http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/jim1.shtml
.
1
The handsome coffee-table book
Jim Henson: The Works
, an upbeat appraisal of the artist’s life and work by Christopher Finch, describes Dear as “a painter and voracious reader, as well as a prolific creator of quality needlework.” According to the book, Dear’s handiwork inspired the young Jim Henson “to appreciate the power of visual imagery and to value creativity.”
The handsome coffee-table book
Jim Henson: The Works
, an upbeat appraisal of the artist’s life and work by Christopher Finch, describes Dear as “a painter and voracious reader, as well as a prolific creator of quality needlework.” According to the book, Dear’s handiwork inspired the young Jim Henson “to appreciate the power of visual imagery and to value creativity.”
2
It is unclear what family influences there might have been on his developing sense of humor, but it is certain the radio comedy of the 1940s played a significant role—especially the timing and repartee of mild-mannered ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his sly, sarcastic dummy Charlie McCarthy. Bergen introduced audiences to McCarthy, his raffish, flirtatious ward, on the vaudeville circuit. But it was network radio that made the pining puppet a national sensation and “the woodpecker’s pinup boy.” Doing ventriloquism on the radio may not seem like compelling entertainment today, but for two decades, Bergen invested verisimilitude into a trio of former trees—Mortimer Snerd, the bucktoothed hayseed; Effie Klinker, the man-hungry spinster; and McCarthy, the debonair detonator of the double entendre. (Northwestern University once awarded McCarthy an honorary degree as Master of Innuendo and Snappy Comebacks.) “I tried to imagine how they looked as they made their jokes,” Henson said as an adult. “But I don’t remember ever thinking of them as one man and his puppets.” Many would one day say the same about him.
It is unclear what family influences there might have been on his developing sense of humor, but it is certain the radio comedy of the 1940s played a significant role—especially the timing and repartee of mild-mannered ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his sly, sarcastic dummy Charlie McCarthy. Bergen introduced audiences to McCarthy, his raffish, flirtatious ward, on the vaudeville circuit. But it was network radio that made the pining puppet a national sensation and “the woodpecker’s pinup boy.” Doing ventriloquism on the radio may not seem like compelling entertainment today, but for two decades, Bergen invested verisimilitude into a trio of former trees—Mortimer Snerd, the bucktoothed hayseed; Effie Klinker, the man-hungry spinster; and McCarthy, the debonair detonator of the double entendre. (Northwestern University once awarded McCarthy an honorary degree as Master of Innuendo and Snappy Comebacks.) “I tried to imagine how they looked as they made their jokes,” Henson said as an adult. “But I don’t remember ever thinking of them as one man and his puppets.” Many would one day say the same about him.
6
A sixth item in that same Laurent column mentioned Bil Baird, the puppeteer behind
Life with Snarky Parker
, a serialized cowboy farce that debuted in 1950 and barely lasted eight months on CBS. Wide-eyed marionette Snarky, sheriff of Hot Rock, bore a disturbing resemblance to actor Richard Benjamin. His trusty horse, Heathcliffe, did not. The series was produced and directed by Yul Brenner. Yes,
that
Yul Brenner. Laurent noted that Baird, “whose marionettes provide the action for music on the CBS Morning Show,” spells his first name with a single letter ell. “Why not?” Baird said. “People never pronounce the second ell, anyway.”
A sixth item in that same Laurent column mentioned Bil Baird, the puppeteer behind
Life with Snarky Parker
, a serialized cowboy farce that debuted in 1950 and barely lasted eight months on CBS. Wide-eyed marionette Snarky, sheriff of Hot Rock, bore a disturbing resemblance to actor Richard Benjamin. His trusty horse, Heathcliffe, did not. The series was produced and directed by Yul Brenner. Yes,
that
Yul Brenner. Laurent noted that Baird, “whose marionettes provide the action for music on the CBS Morning Show,” spells his first name with a single letter ell. “Why not?” Baird said. “People never pronounce the second ell, anyway.”
7
Jim Henson, interview by Judy Harris, 1982.
Jim Henson, interview by Judy Harris, 1982.
11
Jim Henson, interview by Judy Harris, 1982.
Jim Henson, interview by Judy Harris, 1982.
13
Jim Henson, interview by Judy Harris, 1982.
Jim Henson, interview by Judy Harris, 1982.
14
Freeman, “Muppets on His Hands,” 53.
Freeman, “Muppets on His Hands,” 53.
17
Jim Henson, interview by Judy Harris, 1982.
Jim Henson, interview by Judy Harris, 1982.
20
Ibid., 21.
Ibid., 21.
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