Anna Marie (4), David (5), Nicky (7) and
Kenneth (9) Carl from Redwood City, CA : “Our great-great-great-great-grandfather was Davy Crockett”
When the Disneyland television program aired three biographical episodes
about the early American frontiersman in late 1954 and early 1955, Crockett
went from being a minor historical figure to a pop culture phenomenon. Disney sold hundreds of millions of dollars
worth of merchandise from the show, most notably “coonskin caps” that every
child had to own. “The Ballad of Davy
Crockett” (1954), the show’s catchy theme song, became a massive hit and is
easily recalled by Boomers today. It was an early example of the power of
television and marketing, and the Carl children enjoyed a brief moment of tangential
fame. Disneyland would air two additional Crockett episodes later in
1955, and the five total episodes would be hastily reedited and released as the
feature films Davy Crockett, King of the
Wild Frontier (1955) and Davy
Crockett and the River Pirates (1956).
Mrs. Fred Blenis from Memphis, TN: “I got
stuck in a bathtub (for 45 minutes)”
Mrs. Blenis,
a large woman, was on a business trip with her husband in Mississippi. She relaxed in a narrow antique bathtub at
their hotel, and when she tried to get out, she couldn’t. This sort of thing made for amusing newspaper
fodder in the day, but usually the unfortunate victim’s identity would be kept secret. Mrs. Blenis didn't seem to mind.
Special guest Alec Templeton: “I’m going to
play a piano duet with Garry Moore”
Templeton was a Welsh composer and
pianist best known to American audiences for his radio performances, including
several series of his own usually called Alec Templeton Time (1939-41, 1943, 1946-47). The composer, blind from birth, would often
create parodies or jazz riffs on classical pieces. His best known work, “Bach Goes to Town,” was
covered by Benny Goodman’s orchestra. He is also the center of a delightful anecdote related to Bill Cullen's early career. Bill says that he once earned a job as an announcer on one of Templeton's shows, but that someone decided that Bill's limp and the star's blindness was too much malady, even for radio. Bill's solution? "I suggested they get rid of the pianist."
One of Jayne's brothers is in the audience, and is recognized.
This episode has not been reviewed. Details come from alternate sources, including contemporary newspaper accounts, thumbnail descriptions of the episodes from GSN documentation and Gil Fates' handwritten notes. Secrets here are based on the Gil Fates notes and are believed to be accurate.
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