Small Fry Club
Encyclopedia
The Small Fry Club, also known as Movies for Small Fry, is one of the earliest TV series made for children. Aired from 11 March 1947
to 15 June 1951
on the DuMont Television Network
, it was hosted by "Big Brother Bob Emery
".
until his retirement in January 1968.
The Small Fry Club originally aired weekly, but soon expanded to five days a week. According to television historians Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, it was possibly the first television series to air five days per week.
Before it was on television, the show got its start on radio, in Boston, Massachusetts. Bob Emery (real name Clair Robert Emery) was a talented performer who became best known for his work as a children's show host, first at radio station 1XE/WGI Medford Hillside MA in early 1924, and then, when WGI was undergoing financial difficulties, he took the show to a new Boston station, WEEI
, owned by the Edison Electric Illuminating Company. He did his show there from late September 1924 till the early 1930s, at which time he took a radio job in New York City, first working for NBC
and then working at several local stations in New York.
Big Brother Bob Emery had already been a singer and announcer on WGI
before he began doing his children's show. When he first put the show on the air, it was known as the "Big Brother Club." In 1924, nearly every radio station had a man or woman who told bed-time stories to the kids, and Boston radio had several. Bob Emery would become the best known, going on to a career in both radio and TV that lasted from the early 20s till he retired in the late 60s.
"Big Brother" --long before this term connoted something from George Orwell
, it referred to being a mentor—did much more than read bed-time stories. He created a show that was both entertaining and educational, with segments about current events, literature, travel, music, and ethics (good manners, being respectful to others, etc). Emery sang and played the ukelele or the banjo. He also had guest performers, as well as interesting speakers who were doing things kids would find exciting. The Big Brother Club had membership cards and an official button (in the shape of a WEEI microphone). Bob Emery also wrote a newspaper column about club activities. WEEI would also sponsor events that Big Brother Club members could attend, including a day at the zoo or a picnic. And while the show had sponsors, Big Brother was known for caring about kids and not doing an excessive amount of hype. (By the way, it is a total urban legend
that Big Brother or Uncle Don or any other children's show host ever said "that ought to hold the little bastards..." Perhaps such myths circulated because doing a children's show could be very tiresome and demanding, and it sounded like something an exasperated host MIGHT have said.)
Big Brother Bob Emery had several theme songs, one of which was a 1924 hit song called "The Grass is Always Greener in the Other Fellow's Yard" about being satisfied with what you have and not being envious. He opened his show with this, as well as with a singing jingle about WEEI. His closing song was "So Long Small Fry" ("small fry" was a slang expression for 'children') and ultimately, when he took his former radio show to television, that is how it came to be known as the Small Fry Club.
1947 in television
The year 1947 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1947.-Events:*January 3 – Proceedings of the U.S...
to 15 June 1951
1951 in television
The year 1951 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1951.-Events:*March 22 - RCA introduces an eight-pound monochrome television camera with a 53-pound backpack transmitter, both operated by batteries...
on the DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
, it was hosted by "Big Brother Bob Emery
Bob Emery
Robert Donald "Bob" Emery is a college men's ice hockey coach at State University of New York at Plattsburgh . He played college hockey at Boston College from 1983 to 1986 and briefly played professional hockey with the Fredericton Express in New Brunswick and the Maine Mariners in Portland, Maine...
".
Broadcast history
This weekday series was one of the few successful series on DuMont, and aired in the evenings for more than four seasons before it was cancelled. After cancellation, Bob Emery returned to Boston and continued to do versions of the show on WBZ-TVWBZ-TV
WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
until his retirement in January 1968.
The Small Fry Club originally aired weekly, but soon expanded to five days a week. According to television historians Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, it was possibly the first television series to air five days per week.
Before it was on television, the show got its start on radio, in Boston, Massachusetts. Bob Emery (real name Clair Robert Emery) was a talented performer who became best known for his work as a children's show host, first at radio station 1XE/WGI Medford Hillside MA in early 1924, and then, when WGI was undergoing financial difficulties, he took the show to a new Boston station, WEEI
WEEI
WEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, that broadcasts on 850 kHz from a transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts, and is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is one of the top-rated sports talk radio stations in the nation. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts...
, owned by the Edison Electric Illuminating Company. He did his show there from late September 1924 till the early 1930s, at which time he took a radio job in New York City, first working for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and then working at several local stations in New York.
Big Brother Bob Emery had already been a singer and announcer on WGI
WGI
WGI may refer to:* Winter Guard International, an organization for pageantry and performing arts* Worldwide Governance Indicators, an index built by the World Bank to evaluate country governance...
before he began doing his children's show. When he first put the show on the air, it was known as the "Big Brother Club." In 1924, nearly every radio station had a man or woman who told bed-time stories to the kids, and Boston radio had several. Bob Emery would become the best known, going on to a career in both radio and TV that lasted from the early 20s till he retired in the late 60s.
"Big Brother" --long before this term connoted something from George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
, it referred to being a mentor—did much more than read bed-time stories. He created a show that was both entertaining and educational, with segments about current events, literature, travel, music, and ethics (good manners, being respectful to others, etc). Emery sang and played the ukelele or the banjo. He also had guest performers, as well as interesting speakers who were doing things kids would find exciting. The Big Brother Club had membership cards and an official button (in the shape of a WEEI microphone). Bob Emery also wrote a newspaper column about club activities. WEEI would also sponsor events that Big Brother Club members could attend, including a day at the zoo or a picnic. And while the show had sponsors, Big Brother was known for caring about kids and not doing an excessive amount of hype. (By the way, it is a total urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
that Big Brother or Uncle Don or any other children's show host ever said "that ought to hold the little bastards..." Perhaps such myths circulated because doing a children's show could be very tiresome and demanding, and it sounded like something an exasperated host MIGHT have said.)
Big Brother Bob Emery had several theme songs, one of which was a 1924 hit song called "The Grass is Always Greener in the Other Fellow's Yard" about being satisfied with what you have and not being envious. He opened his show with this, as well as with a singing jingle about WEEI. His closing song was "So Long Small Fry" ("small fry" was a slang expression for 'children') and ultimately, when he took his former radio show to television, that is how it came to be known as the Small Fry Club.
See also
- List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
- List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts