 |
| Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Bill "Wee Willie" Webber |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 2,500 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 3–4 hours |
| Original release | |
| Network | WPHL-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Release | 1965 – 1975 |
The Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club was an after-school local children's television program which aired on WPHL-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for 10 years from 1965 to 1975. It was hosted by local Television/Radio personality Bill "Wee Willie" Webber. Webber was the first voice and face of WPHL-TV when it signed on the air on September 17, 1965. [1] The show ran for 3–4 hours in the late afternoon (typically 3:00 PM–6:00 PM) and was one of the first successful programs on UHF. [2]
Webber introduced a variety of Japanese anime cartoons, including 8th Man , Astro Boy , [3] Marine Boy , [4] Prince Planet , [3] Kimba the White Lion and Speed Racer . [5] Other shows included Ultraman , [6] Spider-Man , [7] The Patty Duke Show , [8] The Brady Bunch , Gilligan's Island , The Man from U.N.C.L.E. , Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea , [3] The Friendly Giant , Casper the Friendly Ghost , Milton the Monster , Rocket Robin Hood , George of the Jungle , The High Chaparral , The King Kong Show , [8] Buck Rogers , The Three Stooges , The Lone Ranger and Daniel Boone . The theme song for the program was "Yakety Sax" by Boots Randolph.
Once a week, the show featured a live studio audience of kids. This "Peanut Gallery" played games on-air, including Musical Chairs, and won prizes for telling jokes or attempting to whistle after stuffing their mouths with Ritz Crackers. [9] At the height of the show's popularity, there was a one-year waiting period to get a ticket. [8]
Regular characters on the show included a bear puppet named Ralph, [10] Charlie ChinChopper (eyes drawn on Webber's chin, then the image inverted via a set of mirrors), [11] and the Bluebird of Happiness. Webber often took the show on the road, broadcasting from various locations, including Willow Grove Park, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Hershey Park, the Mann Recreation Center, Hawaii and Rome, Italy. In 1970, the show traveled to Bavaria Film Studios in Munich, Germany for a behind the scenes look at the filming of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory . [12]
From 1976 to 1979, Webber hosted a similar show on WKBS-TV. [13]
