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Ed Kean achieved as a young man is to do a one-time Christmas show for kids. He asked Mr. Smith
something most baby boomers will remem- if he was interested. Little did anyone know that this one-shot
ber for a lifetime.
deal would lead to the birth of "The Howdy Doody Show," one
Almost five decades ago, Mr. Kean helped the most popular and beloved children's television programs
change the lives of millions of young Amer- ever, and the first of its kind in the early days of television.
icans. The furmy thing is, it all happened by
Mr. Kean never expected to go into television. "I was des-
accident, soon after the end of World War II. tined to follow my father's footsteps and go into real estate," -
Mr. Kean and a former schoolmate wrote a time called "Where he said. "But I got the show-biz bug. Besides, we all wanted to
is Sam?" "It was a nonsense song about looking for a guy named
see the inside of a television studio, so we booked some vari-
Sam," explained Mr. Kean, who now lives in West Bloomfield.
ety acts and I wrote the script for the Christmas show."
That nonsense song was just the
That script included a charac-
kind of tune a New York morning
ter from Mr. Smith's quiz show
radio host named Bob Smith was
by the name of Howdy Doody.
looking for to sing on the air. Mr.
While a Howdy Doody voice
Smith, better known later in his
worked on radio, a tangible char-
career as Buffalo Bob, liked the
acter was needed for TV. Creat-
song so much he held a 'Where is
ing the character on short notice
Sam?" theme day at a local amuse-
was next to impossible. Mr. Kean
ment park.
quickly decided Howdy Doody
`The song went nowhere," Mr.
would be too shy for the cameras,
Kean said. "But it gave me an op-
so only his voice would be heard.
JENNIFER FINE R STAFF WRITER
portunity to meet Bob Smith."
That show, originally called
Shortly after their meeting, Mr.
"Puppet Playhouse," was well re-
Smith, who was also hosting a radio quiz show, needed a writer ceived, and it ran regularly. NBC paid Mr. Smith $75 to do
to fill in on short notice. He called Ed Kean.
that first show; he in turn gave Mr. Kean $25 for writing it.
The work was supposed to be temporary. But before he knew
A Howdy Doody puppet was created, and four months after
it, Mr. Kean had moved into television.
the first episode of "Puppet Playhouse," the program was re-
It was the winter of 1947 and the head of NBC-TV wanted named "The Howdy Doody Show."
Ask West Bloo rnfield_resident
Ed Kean. He wrote
"The Howdy Doody Show."