This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2009) |
Hotel Balderdash | |
---|---|
Genre | Children's |
Created by | Larry John, Charlie LeSueur, Randy Lovoi |
Written by | Charlie LeSueur |
Directed by | Charlie LeSueur |
Starring | Larry John, Charlie LeSueur, Randy Lovoi |
Composer | Larry John |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Production locations | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
Original release | |
Network | KTVX |
Hotel Balderdash is a children's television show from the 1970s with three hosts: Cannonball, Harvey and the wacky Raymond, who performed antics and slapstick in between cartoon clips.
This show was produced at KCPX/KTVX in Salt Lake City. It was seen throughout Utah, but was also a regional show seen in parts of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. The show debuted on KCPX-TV, the ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City, on September 11, 1972; soon after the debut of the show the station changed its call letters to KTVX. Hotel Balderdash lasted for over ten years as the most popular local show of any type in the area. Between 55% and 65% of the entire morning audience - all ages - would get up to watch this "local" children's program.
The show started out with a nearly two-hour format, starting at 6:45 in the morning and finishing at 8:40, in time for a 20-minute news broadcast. It eventually settled into an hour format - 7:00 am to 8:00 am, when ABC debuted its new morning program AM America, to go against NBC's Today Show. So popular was Hotel Balderdash, that a local newspaper wrote an article wondering what KTVX would do with their "proven winner", to air AM America. The station knew they had a winner with Balderdash, and decided to divide the two hours of AM America, airing the first hour at 6:00 am and the second hour at 8:00 am. AM America would eventually have a name change to Good Morning America .
The show starred Larry "Cannonball" John, Randy "Harvey" Lovoi and Charlie "Raymond" LeSueur. John and LeSueur had been given the idea for the show from popular kid's show host Bill "Wallace" Thompson of Wallace and Ladmo fame in Phoenix, Arizona. John had known Thompson from the time the young actor had been a co-host on the popular Phoenix talent show called Lew King Rangers. Thompson said that he had the idea for a show set in a hotel and have the guests as the characters. He suggested the name Balderdash for the show.
The show had the popular dynamic of being set in a hotel with the manager, Cannonball, the bellhop, Harvey, and the owner's nephew, the spoiled brat Raymond. Monday through Friday, Raymond would continually try to get Harvey in trouble with Cannonball, only to be caught by Cannonball at the end of the show and punished for his mischief. The live audience of children and parents would go wild trying to warn Cannonball that Harvey was a victim of circumstance and that it was really Raymond causing the trouble.
The other characters on the show where mainly played by LeSueur, who also created most of the routines for the program. Everything the characters did on the show was ad-lib, with just the basic ideas that the threesome would go over in a meeting held before taping. Five shows would be taped in a three-hour period each Monday night for airplay Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and the following Monday morning. These "bits" would be played between cartoons giving the "Balderdash Gang", as they became known, approximately 25 minutes of air time per show; therefore, with the quick taping it was truly 'live on tape.'
The show originally used the popular jazz tune Mississippi Mud as their theme song, but, when LeSueur left the show in 1976, John and Lovoi quickly adjusted and recorded two popular albums of original songs. The Hotel Balderdash theme song that is fondly remembered was on the first album - which is why there is no mention of Raymond in the song. The show's popularity continued to soar with Harvey and Cannonball, even having a "Hotel Balderdash Day" declared in Utah. So strong was the popularity of the two characters that the show continued to entertain, though by now, without LeSueur's "double entendre" characters, it focused more on being strictly a children's show. LeSueur returned to the show at various times and finally returned on more or less a permanent basis in 1979.
At its height of popularity the characters of Harvey, Cannonball, and Raymond would draw huge crowds at any personal appearances. At Christmas time, when they made their regular appearances at the Sears department stores, Santa Claus would have to close up shop until they left because everyone wanted to see the Balderdash Gang. A story relating to their immense popularity is the year when the storyline had Raymond kidnapping Santa Claus on a Thursday morning installment. The Friday and Monday shows had already been taped and Santa was to be saved on the Monday show. KTVX was inundated Thursday with phone calls from angry parents whose kids were terribly upset at the kidnapping. The Threesome were called back Thursday night for an emergency taping session to make sure that Santa was saved by Cannonball and Harvey on Friday. Santa was saved and the kids - and parents - were happy.
By the time the show ended in the early 1980s, LeSueur was the only original member of the cast left on the program. By this time, the show was owned by a corporation. In a corporate move, Lovoi left the show and was replaced by Steve Farnworth as the lovable bellhop. For ten years Lovoi had nurtured the character of Harvey as a lovable, tall, lean, dark haired presence. Harvey now became a short, stocky, blond character. The chemistry had been destroyed. Eventually, John left and the show was cancelled without any fanfare. By this time, ABC had put pressure on KTVX to place the two halves of Good Morning America together or lose their ABC affiliation. They relegated Hotel Balderdash to a 30-minute time slot at 6:30 am with no cartoons. Very little of the show seems to be archived, as the station would reuse the same video tapes each week to tape the show.
After cancellation of the show, both Larry John and Charlie LeSueur moved to Mesa, Arizona. John cofounded Larry John Wright Advertising with longtime friend John Wright. LeSueur continued to work in television, film, radio and stage, and was also a film historian who wrote books on Westerns. [1] [2]
In 2010, Larry John and Randy Lovoi produced a new pilot episode for a revamped show on the now defunct Hotel Balderdash website. After originally agreeing to appear, Charlie LeSueur declined due to creative differences.
Steve Farnworth, the second Harvey, died in Mesa, Arizona on July 22, 2008 at age 58. [3] Larry John died in Mesa, Arizona on February 19, 2018 at age 69. [4] Charlie LeSueur died in Mesa, Arizona on November 19, 2019 at age 68. [5]
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. Conway is perhaps best known as a regular cast member (1975–1978) on the TV comedy The Carol Burnett Show where he portrayed his recurrent iconic characters Mister Tudball and the Oldest Man. Over his career he received numerous accolades including five Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. He received the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999 and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2002.
Three's Company is an American television sitcom that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. Developed by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West, it is based on the British sitcom Man About the House created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer.
Monument Valley is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, with the largest reaching 1,000 ft (300 m) above the valley floor. The most famous butte formations are located in northeastern Arizona along the Utah–Arizona state line. The valley is considered sacred by the Navajo Nation, the Native American people within whose reservation it lies.
Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera that aired on NBC from July 30, 1984, to January 15, 1993. The show revolves around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California. Other prominent families featured on the soap were the rival Lockridge family, and the more modest Andrade and Perkins families.
World News Now is an American overnight news broadcast seen on ABC and ABC News Live. Airing during the early morning hours each Monday through Friday, the program features a mix of general news and off-beat stories, along with weather forecasts, sports highlights, feature segments, and repurposed segments and story packages from other ABC News programs; its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous.
Petticoat Junction is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and Betty Jo; and her uncle Joe Carson. The series is one of three interrelated shows about rural characters produced by Paul Henning. Petticoat Junction was created upon the success of Henning's previous rural/urban-themed sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971). The success of Petticoat Junction led to a spin-off, Green Acres (1965–1971). Petticoat Junction was produced by Filmways, Inc.
The Hooterville Cannonball is a fictional railroad train featured in Petticoat Junction, an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970. The train was considered an "important character" by the show's producers, and producer Paul Henning hired railroad historian Gerald M. Best to make sure that the locomotive sounds used on the show were authentic to a train of the same type and age.
The Wallace and Ladmo Show, also known as It's Wallace and Wallace & Company, was a children's television show produced by and aired on KPHO-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, from April 1, 1954, to December 29, 1989. For most of its 35-year run, it was broadcast in the afternoon, Monday through Friday, and usually live.
Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was an American architect and designer. She was one of the very few female American architects in her day. She was the designer of many landmark buildings and spaces for the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad, notably in Grand Canyon National Park. Her work had enormous influence as she helped to create a style, blending Spanish Colonial Revival and Mission Revival architecture with Native American motifs and Rustic elements, that became popular throughout the Southwest. Colter was a perfectionist, who spent a lifetime advocating and defending her aesthetic vision in a largely male-dominated field.
Green Giant and Le Sueur are brands of frozen and canned vegetables owned by B&G Foods. The company's mascot is the Jolly Green Giant.
CBS This Morning (CTM) is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987 to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012 to September 6, 2021. On November 1, 1999, the original incarnation was replaced by The Early Show, which was replaced by the second incarnation of CBS This Morning on January 9, 2012.
KZZP is a United States commercial radio station licensed to Mesa, Arizona, and serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. The station airs a top 40 (CHR) format and is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. Studios and offices are on East Van Buren Street in Phoenix near Sky Harbor International Airport.
Meridel Le Sueur was an American writer associated with the proletarian literature movement of the 1930s and 1940s. Born as Meridel Wharton, she assumed the name of her mother's second husband, Arthur Le Sueur, the former Socialist mayor of Minot, North Dakota.
KBEE, branded as B98.7, is a commercial radio station in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is one of the oldest FM stations in the Western United States, tracing its history to 1947. The station is owned by Cumulus Media, and it airs an adult contemporary radio format. KBEE's studios are located in South Salt Lake. The station is also broadcast on HD radio.
KTVX is a television station in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Ogden-licensed CW owned-and-operated station KUCW. The two stations share studios on West 1700 South in Salt Lake City; KTVX's transmitter is located atop Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh Mountains.
KNIT is an AM radio station in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is one of the oldest stations in Salt Lake City, established in 1922 as KDYL. The studios are on South Murray Boulevard. KNIT carries a Christian radio format supplied by Your Network of Praise, featuring Christian music and teaching programs. The non-profit organization also has stations in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and North Dakota. The network holds periodic fundraisers on the air to support its ministry. National religious leaders heard on KNIT include David Jeremiah, Joni Eareckson Tada, Chuck Swindoll and Jim Daly.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz is a syndicated sports talk show hosted by Dan Le Batard and Jon "Stugotz" Weiner broadcast out of Miami. It was also carried on many ESPN Radio Network affiliates nationwide and simulcast nationally on various ESPN platforms until the show's departure from ESPN in January 2021. The show currently airs on Peacock and the NBC Sports FAST channel.
Emily LeSueur is an American competitor in synchronized swimming and was a 1996 Atlanta Olympic champion.
Arizona Charlie's Decatur is a hotel and locals casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It includes 258 rooms and 55,227 sq ft (5,130.8 m2) of gaming space. The property began in 1963, as a bowling alley developed by the Becker family. Bruce Becker eventually took over management and proposed adding a hotel-casino. The property opened in April 1988, and is named after a distant relative of the family, Arizona Charlie.
Nightmare Theater was an American late night TV horror program that was broadcast on KCPX in Salt Lake City, Utah, from 1962 until 1982. The show first aired at 10:35 p.m. on September 28, 1962, with a showing of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. It was one of Utah's most popular and longest running shows. Nightmare Theater did not have a host, except for a short period in 1973. Very little documentation aside from newspaper ads is known to exist, except a few photographs of the opening credits, some audio recordings of the introduction, and memorabilia saved by Ron Ross, who would do the introductory voiceover starting in 1965.