J. Fred Muggs (born March 14, 1952) is a chimpanzee born in the African colony of French Cameroon that forms part of modern-day Cameroon. Brought to New York City before his first birthday, he was bought by two former NBC pages and eventually appeared on a host of television shows on that network including NBC's Today Show where he served as mascot from 1953 to 1957. Muggs worked in several television shows including a short-lived eponymous series, toured the world and worked at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. He officially retired at age 23. As of 2018[update], Muggs was still alive.[1] Chimpanzees have been known to live up to 70 years, though 50 is more commonly the animal's lifespan.[2][3]
Muggs was born in French Cameroon. He first became popular when he was in Henry Trefflich's pet store in New York; a "name that chimp" contest led to his being named Mr. Muggs, to which the Today Show later added "J. Fred".[4] Carmine "Bud" Mennella and Leroy "Roy" Waldron, former NBC pages, bought him for $600 when he was 10 months old, and Mennella trained him.[5][6] He appeared on the Perry Como Show and Pat Weaver of the Today Show saw potential in him;[7] Mennella had an appointment with NBC executives for Muggs to audition for the Today Show, but missed it; however, Muggs' antics in a coffee shop led the president of the network to offer him a contract anyway.[5] Muggs first appeared on the show on February 3, 1953, dressed in diapers like a baby.[4][8]
Muggs (left) and companion, Phoebe B. Beebe, with Dave Garroway, 1954
The Today Show had begun in 1952, with Dave Garroway as host, but was doing poorly. The introduction of a chimpanzee caused Jim Fleming, the original newsreader, to quit; he was replaced by Frank Blair.[9] However, the addition of Muggs boosted ratings and helped win advertisers; the program's producer, Richard Pinkham, once estimated Muggs had brought the network $100million.[5][6][7][10] Muggs sat in Garroway's lap, mastered more than 500 words, and had a wardrobe of 450 outfits.[5][11] He "read" the day's newspapers,[12] imitated Popeye and played the piano with Steve Allen.[4] Merchandise featuring him included books, comics, and games;[13] as a star, he was called on to open supermarkets and commission US Navy ships.[11]
Many sources refer to Garroway as jealous of Muggs. Joe Hagan of The New York Observer noted, without attribution, that "Legend has it that ... Mr. Garroway grew jealous and began spiking Muggs' orange juice with benzedrine to make him misbehave and deliver his human co-host back to center stage."[10] Many sources suggested that Muggs did not have a good disposition. He has been described as "a nasty little monkey"[14] and as "throwing legendary tantrums".[13] He is said to have learned that if he misbehaved when the red light was on, indicating that the program was broadcasting live, he could not be disciplined.[13][15] At the press conference announcing his addition to the show, Muggs yanked Garroway's glasses off.[16] He was restrained in a harness and leash, but sometimes escaped: during one remote broadcast he climbed a tree and had to be lured down with bananas, and in Beirut an associate producer had to chase him in her underwear down a hotel hallway.[17]
Many contemporary websites refer to Muggs as having bitten comedian Martha Raye on the arm.[4][12][13][18] Though Gerald Preis told Hagan that this story was a "tabloid rumor" and "just plain bullshit.",[10] the story is well documented in the 1954 press, including the report from an NBC representative circulated by the International News Service: "An NBC spokesman said yesterday the network plans no punitive action against J. Fred Muggs, popular TV chimp star which bit comedienne Martha Raye and her understudy [Vickie Carlson] Saturday night."[19]
Muggs's handlers at one point sued Garroway in the chimp's name for allegedly ruining Muggs's career by claiming to have been bitten by him;[15] Garroway said Muggs had bitten him on the face on live TV.[8][13]
During a 1955 episode of the game show Make the Connection, Muggs appeared with Joanne Cottingham, who served as his babysitter; the panel was supposed to attempt to guess her relationship to the chimpanzee, but after Muggs was introduced, he spent most of the segment running all over the set (as well as behind it) until host Gene Rayburn finally called the game and awarded Cottingham the show's maximum $150 payoff by default.[citation needed]
Muggs was also an artist. In 1958, one of his finger paintings was used as the cover of Mad #38.[20] Supposedly, Muggs bit editor Al Feldstein.[21]
Muggs was associated with Mad in another way, when the magazine ran an article titled "The Dave Garrowunway Show".[17] This article focused on the chimpanzee, whom writer Harvey Kurtzman named "J. Floyd Gluggs", and his apparent ambition to take over "Garrowunway's" spot as anchor. Sure enough, by the end of the article, with "Garrowunway" rapping rudely on the window from outside the building, "Gluggs" appears in Garroway's familiar closing pose, in suit, glasses and lavalier microphone, saying "vootie" in place of the anchor's tagline "Peace," with his right palm thrust forward. The caption reads, "By George...we've warned Garrowunway to watch out..."
Today interrupted its coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation (which involved slightly delayed still pictures and BBC radio audio) with foolery and advertising for tea, featuring Muggs.[4] This was severely criticized in the United Kingdom and by some US television critics, including Jack Gould in The New York Times;[8] in the UK the introduction of commercial television was being debated at the time, and its opponents felt that it strengthened their case. It was arguably a key factor in the strong regulation of ITV (by the Independent Television Authority) written into the Television Act 1954, including its ban on advertising breaks during programming featuring the Royal Family.[22][23]
Muggs went on a world tour to promote Today; in Japan, where his popularity was second only to that of Marilyn Monroe, 15 geishas waited on him,[11] while in Russia Izvestia described him as "a symbol of the American way of life" and said he was "necessary in order that the average American should not look into reports on rising taxes, and decreasing pay, but rather laugh at the funny mug of a chimpanzee."[4] In 1957—supposedly following the Martha Raye incident—he was replaced on the show by another chimpanzee called Kokomo Jr.[13][15] NBC's press release stated that he intended "to extend his personal horizons",[17] and he briefly starred in The J. Fred Muggs Show.[4][24] He then worked at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, and appeared on Good Morning America (on ABC) to celebrate his 23rd birthday, before retiring.[4]
Muggs and his "live-in girlfriend", Phoebe B. Beebe (who also made appearances on Today), were still alive as of January 12, 2012, and living in Citrus Park, Florida, in the care of Gerald Preis, Mennella's son. In 2004, Joe Hagan reached Preis at his home, where Preis stated that Muggs "has a little gray, mostly in his beard."[10]
Legacy
For many years, TV Guide ran an annual feature highlighting its takes on the year's most dubious television programs, episodes, activities, and issues, "The J. Fred Muggs Awards for Distinguished Foolishness".[25] And in the 1994 film Quiz Show, chronicling the infamous quiz show scandal of the late 1950s, actor Ralph Fiennes as Twenty-One champion Charles Van Doren—shown being offered a regular job on Today—says to the Dave Garroway character (played by Barry Levinson), "I hope you're not firing the chimp!"
Neam "Nim" Chimpsky was a chimpanzee used in a study to determine whether chimps could learn a human language, American Sign Language (ASL). The project was led by Herbert S. Terrace of Columbia University with linguistic analysis by psycholinguist Thomas Bever. Chimpsky was named as a pun on linguist Noam Chomsky, who posited that humans are "wired" to develop language.
Today is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television and in the world, and after 72 years of broadcasting it is fifth on the list of longest-running United States television series.
David Cunningham Garroway was an American television personality. He was the founding host and anchor of NBC's Today from 1952 to 1961. His easygoing and relaxing style belied a lifelong battle with depression. Garroway has been honored for his contributions to radio and television with a star for each on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame, the city where he spent part of his teenaged years and early adulthood.
Bubbles is a chimpanzee once kept as a pet by the American singer Michael Jackson, who bought him from a Texas research facility in the 1980s. Bubbles frequently traveled with Jackson, drawing attention in the media. In 1987, during the Bad world tour, Bubbles and Jackson drank tea with the mayor of Osaka, Japan.
Nathan Hiken was an American radio and television writer, producer, and songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1950s.
Make the Connection is an American game show, sponsored by Borden, that ran on Thursday nights from July 7 to September 29, 1955, on NBC. Originally hosted by Jim McKay, he was replaced after the first four episodes by Gene Rayburn, who debuted as a game show host on August 4, 1955.
Clifford Charles Norton was an American character actor and radio announcer who appeared in various movies and television series over a career spanning four decades.
Noah Oppenheim is an American television producer, author, and screenwriter. Previously, Oppenheim was the executive in charge and senior producer of NBC's Today Show, where he supervised the 7–8am hour of the broadcast, and head of development at the production company Reveille. He became president of NBC News in 2017. The same year, Ronan Farrow claimed that Oppenheim attempted to stop his reporting on the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases, a claim that Oppenheim denied. Oppenheim stepped down as president of NBC News in January 2023 and entered into a film and TV production agreement with NBCUniversal.
Jiggs was a male chimpanzee and animal actor who originated the character of Cheeta in the 1930s Hollywood Tarzan movies. He was owned and trained by Tony and Jacqueline Gentry.
Travis was a male chimpanzee who was raised by and lived with Sandra Herold in Stamford, Connecticut. On February 16, 2009, he attacked and mauled Herold's friend, Charla Nash, blinding her, severing several body parts, and lacerating her face, before he was shot and killed by responding Officer Frank Chiafari.
Garroway at Large was an experimental American musical variety show program with the host Dave Garroway in the Golden Age of Television. It was telecast at 10pm on Saturday on NBC from April 1949 to 1954. Garroway at Large aired with a full symphony orchestra conducted by Joseph Gallicchio. There were two female singers, Betty Chapel and Connie Russell and a male singer, Jack Haskell. In addition, the Hamilton Trio, a contemporary dance group, appeared each week, along with comedian Cliff Norton.
The Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden, commonly referred to as Chimp Eden, is situated within a 1,000 ha game reserve and animal sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees, in the Umhloti Nature Reserve, near Barberton, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Opened in 2006 by founder and director Eugene Cussons, in collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), its purpose is to provide a permanent and safe home for chimpanzees who are rescued from abusive and unfortunate circumstances from areas where these great apes are being constantly exploited by humans through the bushmeat trade, pet trade and entertainment industries. At the sanctuary, the chimpanzees are rehabilitated with the help of their care takers in being re-introduced back into chimpanzee social skills and live in a social group with others of their own kind.
The TV Guide Award was an annual award created by the editors of TV Guide magazine, as a readers poll to honor outstanding programs and performers in the American television industry. The awards were presented until 1964. The TV Guide Award was revived 1999–2001.
Four Star Revue is an American variety/comedy program that aired on NBC from October 4, 1950, to December 26, 1953.
Andrew Lack is a businessman, film executive and television executive. He was the chairman of NBC News and MSNBC from 2015 to 2020.
Kokomo Jr. was the name given to at least two male common chimpanzees used as animal actors, one born c. 1955 and one born c. 1967. Kokomo Jr. replaced J. Fred Muggs as the animal mascot of the Today Show in 1957, and was known for his ability to "talk", being able to pronounce the word mama on demand. Kokomo Jr. was retired in 1983.
Mary Ellen Agnes Kelly (1926-2005?) was a US television and radio reporter and producer. Kelly was part of the staff for the first production of the Today Show in 1952. During her Today Show career, Kelly travelled the world for her reporting. She interviewed celebrities, including Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer, and reported on many international events, including Grace Kelly’s wedding and the inaugural commercial flight over the North Pole. She later hosted her own radio show, “Mary’s Notebook.”
The Marquis Chimps were a group of trained chimpanzees that were used in variety shows and television programmes and commercials, initially in Britain and then in the United States, from the late 1940s to the 1980s. They were owned and trained by Gene Detroy.
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