Adventure Time
Encyclopedia
Adventure Time was a local children's television show on WTAE-TV
4 in Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
, from 1959 to 1975. It was hosted by the late Paul Shannon, with guitarist Joe Negri
and puppeteer Jim Martin
. Martin later became a puppeteer for Sesame Street
.
shorts were shown as well as the cartoons Kimba the White Lion
and Rocky and Bullwinkle. Often the Three Stooges episodes were introduced by Shannon spinning "The Stooge-O-Scope"...a mounted wheel with various pictures of the Three Stooges attached to it. After Paul would spin the wheel, the camera would zoom into it, with the fade back out going into that day's episode of the Stooges.
The show also featured Paul Shannon's alter ego, Nosmo King, a man who stalked about the studio in a slouch hat and overcoat, and who never spoke. Nosmo was also featured "driving his car" around Pittsburgh, or playing a one-man-band type instrument to the likes of The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There". The studio audience was composed of children's groups such as Cub Scout
packs and Girl Scout troops. Paul regularly featured a "Picture Gallery" on his show. He would pretend to "play" a player piano and scroll photos of his young listeners that had been sent in to the station. Other times, songs such as The Toys' "A Lover's Concerto" would play during the showing of the viewer's photos.
A high point of the show came each Christmas season, when Paul Shannon loaded children's letters to Santa Claus
into a rocket, and launched it to the North Pole. Santa later opened the letters and read them on the air.
Martin's main character in the series was Baby Jeffy. The puppet was lost at one point in production, and Negri claims Martin reacted "like Jeffy was kidnapped."
In his book, Moe Howard
of the Three Stooges credited Paul Shannon with sparking renewed interest in the Stooges and Paul appeared in one of the Stooges' full-length features, The Outlaws Is Coming
, as Wild Bill Hickok
.
Shannon's alter-ego Nosmo King reportedly got his name from a "No Smoking" sign. Later on in the series' history, other characters were added, such as Happy Howard (The Friendly Spider).
WTAE-TV
WTAE-TV is the ABC affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh, broadcasting on UHF channel 51 and identifying via PSIP as channel 4 . It also serves as an ABC affiliate for the Wheeling/Steubenville and Clarksburg/Weston, West Virginia market areas...
4 in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, from 1959 to 1975. It was hosted by the late Paul Shannon, with guitarist Joe Negri
Joe Negri
Joseph Harold Negri is a jazz guitarist and educator from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During his years as Musical Director at WTAE-TV, he appeared on the former children's television show Paul Shannon's Adventure Time and other locally-produced shows on the station...
and puppeteer Jim Martin
Jim Martin (puppeteer)
Jim Martin is a puppeteer, best known for his roles on Sesame Street. As part of the cast, he has won an Emmy Award. He has been nominated multiple times, and won for "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling" at the Emmys, also for Sesame Street.-Early life:Martin graduated from St...
. Martin later became a puppeteer for Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
.
Series background
Paul Shannon introduced cartoon segments by lowering a "magic sword" and reciting the phrase, "Down goes the curtain, and back up again for . . ." whatever was the feature. Old Three StoogesThree Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
shorts were shown as well as the cartoons Kimba the White Lion
Kimba the White Lion
, known in the United States as Kimba the White Lion, is an anime series from the 1960s. Created by Osamu Tezuka and based on his manga of the same title which began publication in 1950, it was the first color animated television series created in Japan. The manga was first published in serialized...
and Rocky and Bullwinkle. Often the Three Stooges episodes were introduced by Shannon spinning "The Stooge-O-Scope"...a mounted wheel with various pictures of the Three Stooges attached to it. After Paul would spin the wheel, the camera would zoom into it, with the fade back out going into that day's episode of the Stooges.
The show also featured Paul Shannon's alter ego, Nosmo King, a man who stalked about the studio in a slouch hat and overcoat, and who never spoke. Nosmo was also featured "driving his car" around Pittsburgh, or playing a one-man-band type instrument to the likes of The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There". The studio audience was composed of children's groups such as Cub Scout
Cub Scout
A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...
packs and Girl Scout troops. Paul regularly featured a "Picture Gallery" on his show. He would pretend to "play" a player piano and scroll photos of his young listeners that had been sent in to the station. Other times, songs such as The Toys' "A Lover's Concerto" would play during the showing of the viewer's photos.
A high point of the show came each Christmas season, when Paul Shannon loaded children's letters to Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
into a rocket, and launched it to the North Pole. Santa later opened the letters and read them on the air.
Martin's main character in the series was Baby Jeffy. The puppet was lost at one point in production, and Negri claims Martin reacted "like Jeffy was kidnapped."
In his book, Moe Howard
Moe Howard
Moses Harry Horwitz , known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades...
of the Three Stooges credited Paul Shannon with sparking renewed interest in the Stooges and Paul appeared in one of the Stooges' full-length features, The Outlaws Is Coming
The Outlaws Is Coming
The Outlaws IS Coming! is the sixth and last theatrical feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita . Like its predecessor, The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze...
, as Wild Bill Hickok
Wild Bill Hickok
James Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...
.
Shannon's alter-ego Nosmo King reportedly got his name from a "No Smoking" sign. Later on in the series' history, other characters were added, such as Happy Howard (The Friendly Spider).