Pete McTee's Clubhouse

Last updated
Pete McTee's Clubhouse
GenreChildren's television
Created byLou Castriota, Sr.
Starring
  • Lou Castriota, Sr.
  • Tom Ensminger
  • Don Schaller
  • Michael Ovadia
  • Lesli Morrison
  • Wembley
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons14
No. of episodes404
Production
Running time22 - 23 minutes
Production company WPMT-TV
Original release
Release1990 (1990) –
2003 (2003)

Pete McTee's Clubhouse was a Saturday morning television series that originally aired from September 15, 1990 [1] until 2004 on WPMT Fox-43 in York, Pennsylvania. The show starred Pete McTee (Lou Castriota, Sr.) and featured an ensemble cast including Professor Noodles (Tom Ensminger), Captain Cool (Don Schaller, 1990-2001; Michael Ovadia, 2001–2003), Dee (actress name unknown), and Sammi Jo (Lesli Morrison). Other characters on the show included Pete's dog Wembley, and his computer Scooter. Overall, 404 episodes were produced.

Contents

Format

The show was unique in that it was never scripted. Castriota and Ensminger would meet a few days before taping (which usually occurred on Tuesdays) to rough out the shows segments. [ citation needed ] The show was filmed before a live studio audience, usually consisting of Boy Scouts troops, Girl Scouts troops, or other groups of children from the area. Each episode featured several segments, typically including an educational segment about science and a segment with a cartoon shown on Scooter's screen (such as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show ).

Between 1993 and the late 1990s, small segments were aired before and after cartoons shown in the early hours of the weekday, typically before school. These segments were called "PeteTV". A word-changed cover of Dire Straits' song "Money for Nothing" had been used, but slightly altered for the theme. Instead of "I Want My MTV"; they spoke "I Want My PeteTV". [note 1]

In 2009, a re-mixed version of the show started airing on WGCB-TV, Family 49, in Red Lion, Pennsylvania. New content was added into the old shows to create updated segments. [2]

History

Pete McTee was a clown character created by WPMT-TV and Lou Castriota, Sr. in 1989. The name Pete McTee came from the station's callsign.

Castriota had worked for WPMT in the years prior and had left the station to work in Hagerstown, Maryland. While living there, John Rieggel, general manager of WPMT, called Castriota and asked him to audition for a clown character they were creating - Pete McTee. He easily got the job and worked part-time for the station making public appearances as the clown. [3] The earliest known appearance was at an early iteration of Hersheypark's Balloonfest then called The Pennsylvania Hometown Hot Air Balloon Classic, October 13 to 15, 1989. [4] He also made appearances in other local events in the Greater Harrisburg region. [5] [6]

In 1990, Castriota rejoined the station as program director. In response to the Children's Television Act, which required TV stations to air at least three hours of educational children's programming every week, Castriota decided to create a children's show in-house. Castriota gave the role of Professor Noodles, who served as Pete's co-host on the show, to Tom Ensminger, whom he had known since high school. Captain Cool was originally played by Don Schaller from 1990 to 2001 and Michael Ovadia performed as Captain Cool from 2001 to 2003), and Sammi Jo was played by Lesli Morrison. Other characters on the show included Pete's dog Wembley, who belonged to Castriota. [7]

In 1994, Castriota said that the station was approached by a company who wanted to purchase the show for international release and that it appeared to be happening, [8] though nothing ultimately came of it.

In November 2003, it was announced that Castriota was leaving WPMT for nearby station WHP-TV. Earlier in 2003, WPMT stopped taping new episodes of the Pete McTee Clubhouse when they were unable to recruit sponsors to underwrite the show. By November Castriota left formally ending the show. [9]

In 2005, Lou Castriota and Tom Ensminger purchased the show from WPMT. Soon after, the cast began reuniting as the Pete McTee’s Big Red Nose Tour to perform annual live shows at Strand Capital in York, Pennsylvania in 2007 and 2008. [10] The shows benefited Leg Up Farm, a non-profit organization founded by Castriota's son, Lou Castriota, Jr. [11]

Awards

The series won the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters (PAB) award for best locally produced children's show in 1991, 1992, 1993, [12] 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2000. [13]

On October 15, 1992, Castriota was honored as one of 1992's outstanding volunteers by the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Central Pennsylvania Chapter. Castriota was awarded for starting a program called Athletes vs MS, working for more than 15 years with the Society on MS projects, dating back to his days in radio. The Society also identified Pete McTee as a "spokesclown" for the organization. [14]

Castriota won the Television Broadcaster of the Year award from the PAB in 2001 for his work on the show. [15]

See also

Some episodes of the show are available to watch on the Fox 43 website as well as on YouTube.

Notes

  1. ↑ These segments were NOT recorded in front of an audience. They were either done live or pre-recorded to air in this method.

References

  1. ↑ "Pete McTee's Clubhouse". Captainerniesshowboat.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  2. ↑ Stark, Eric (October 25, 2009). "Reworking 'that religious station'". Sunday News. Lancaster, PA. p. H8. The Saturday lineup has educational shows for children...including old episodes of "Pete McTee's Playhouse," [sic] ... Castriota, who plays Pete on the show, said new content has been edited into the old shows, and plans for new shows are under way.
  3. ↑ Adams, Sean. "From producer to Pete McTee, retired TV personality had 'done it all' before leaving Fox 43". PennLive. Retrieved September 18, 2025. ...Castriota left WPMT for a time ... "...While I was there [in Hagerstown], the general manager of Fox [John Rieggel] asked if I wanted to audition for this character they were developing called Pete McTee. And I said, 'sure, let's give it a go.'" Castriota helped to develop Pete McTee...and appeared at live events before returning to that station full time.
  4. ↑ "WPMT Presents". The Patriot-News . Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. October 8, 1989. pp. 12–13. Weekend Events...Kids' Amusements Featuring PETE McTEE ...
  5. ↑ Merges, Hank (November 21, 1989). "Schools will be getting special look". The York Dispatch . York, Pennsylvania. p. A8. First Night promises to be loads of fun. WSBA's Ralph Lockwood will MC the finale...a laser light extravaganza...along with WPNT's Charlotte Asherman and Pete McTee...12,000 expected to show up for the New Year's Eve family event.
  6. ↑ Blank, Barbara (December 22, 1989). "York bids adieu to '89 'family-style'". The Sentinel . Carlisle, Pennsylvania. p. D1-D3. Three media figures will appear at the [York County] Courthouse to M.C. the Grand Finale and kick off the [laser show]: Ralph Lockwood of WSBA, Charlotte Asherman of WPMT Fox 43 and Pete McTee, the WPMT Fox-43 Kids Club Personality.
  7. ↑ Adams, Sean. "From producer to Pete McTee, retired TV personality had 'done it all' before leaving Fox 43". PennLive. Retrieved September 18, 2025. ... "We decided well, instead of buying a show in syndication, let us produce our own children's show," Castriota said. "So in 1990, you know, 'Pete McTee's Clubhouse' premiered. I developed the characters, wrote the first episode. And I was casting it, I remembered my buddy from high school, Tom Ensminger. I asked him to come in and let's talk about a character that I developed called Professor Noodles. He thought I was putting him on, and I said, 'no, this is real'." Rounding out the cast were Captain Cool and Sammi Jo, as played by Michael Ovadia, Leslie Morrison, as well as Castriota's basset hound Wembley as himself.
  8. ↑ Clay, Marianne. "Kids move into TV's spotlight". York Daily Record . York, PA. p. 1D-2D. Pete McTee's Clubhouse, a children's show produced by Lou Castriota Sr., Fox 43 program director, and written by Castriota and Tom Ensminger of York, may so go global. The international rights for the show...may soon be purchased by a syndication company interested in distributing the Clubhouse in 20 foreign countries. "We were approached by this company who wants to purchase the show for international release. And it looks like it's a go," Castriota said. "We're hoping it will be syndicated nationally as well." ... The show, which airs on WPMT-TV (Ch. 43) Sunday mornings at 8, counts about 40,000 children as members of the Clubhouse. ...
  9. ↑ Bothum, Peter (November 14, 2003). "Time for clown to fill new shoes". York Daily Record. p. 1. The decision [to end the show], in essence, was mutual. WPMT decided that it needed outside help from sponsors to underwrite the show but found none. The station ceased shooting new episodes and switched to airing reruns. With the show in limbo...Castriota...took a job as director of operations and programming at WHP-TV (Ch. 21) and sister station WLYH-TV (Ch. 15) in Harrisburg. Castriota had been program director at Fox 43...but lost his job in 2001 when Fox cut program director slots at several stations. ...Castriota had been working as a freelance producer so that he could continue to do "Pete McTee's Clubhouse."
  10. ↑ http://community.whptv.com/calendar/community_events/2546322.aspx [ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ "About Us - Leg Up Farm" . Retrieved 2014-11-22.
  12. ↑ Fox, Barry (May 28, 1993). "New owners WNNK plans to keep same program format". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA. p. C11. The Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters 1993 Awards For Excellence are out and area radio and television stations have collected some more hardware...WPMT-TV Fox 43's "Pete McTee's Clubhouse" won the best program series for children category.
  13. ↑ "5th Annual Health, Safety Day for Kids planned". Gettysburg Times. April 26, 2001. p. B12. Retrieved September 18, 2025. The Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters chose "Pete McTees Clubhouse" as the best locally produced children's show in over the past decade.
  14. ↑ "Multiple Sclerosis Society honors volunteers". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. October 18, 1992. p. B3. [Lou] Castriota of York is program manager for WPMT Fox-43 and creator of the television station's "Pete McTee's Clubhouse." He has assisted the society for many years. He was instrumental in starting the Athletes vs MS program, and for more than 15 years, since his days on radio, has worked with MS projects. Pete McTee is a "spokesclown."
  15. ↑ Bothum, Peter (May 1, 2001). "The night side of TV as WHTM changes face". York Daily Record. p. 1D-8D. Lou Castriota, program director at WPMT-TV (Ch. 43), Fox 43, brought home the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcaster's "Television Broadcaster of the Year" award. Castriota is the producer, writer and performer on the children's show "Pete McTee's Clubhouse."
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