Bob Smith

Children's Show Creator/Host - The Howdy Doody Show

"Kids would come home from school, sit in front of the television, listen to the recorded music and watch the test pattern until I got there. And at five-thirty we’d say, 'say kids, what time is it?' Then the whole world blasted out, 'it's Howdy-Doody time!' If they were watching television, they were watching Howdy-Doody."

About This Interview

Full 6-part oral history interview with "Buffalo" Bob Smith's (1917-98). Mr. Smith discusses his early success at the CBS and NBC radio. In 1947, he created "Puppet Playhouse", which was re-titled "The Howdy Doody Show" and ran on the NBC television network for 13 years. Not only was this one of television's first children's show, but the first show aired in color on a regular schedule. Conducted April 30, 1998 by Michael Rosen.