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April 23, 2020 11:46 am  #1


The strange, forgotten story behind "Pick a Letter with George Feyer"

I remember this old cartoon-like short that used to run on Channel 9 when I was a kid. I haven't thought of it in years until I read this great article on it by TV scribe Bill Brioux. Oddly, in this Internet age where everything old is online again, there's not a hint of any of them to be found on the web. 

If you've never seen this thing, it's very hard to describe, but Brioux does as good a job as anyone can. 

The strange, forgotten story behind Pick a Letter with George Feyer 

 

April 23, 2020 6:41 pm  #2


Re: The strange, forgotten story behind "Pick a Letter with George Feyer"

I was six or seven when this was on CFTO and I loved Pick a Letter with George Feyer.  I was mesmerized how quick he could draw and the fact that his pen never ran out of ink. George was always smiling and to little kids watching he seemed like a friendly guy, who could draw so clearly and fast.

In fact I really enjoyed a lot of CFTO children's programming back in the early- mid sixties. Tales of the Wizard of OZ was a great cartoon that had at times a Bullwinkle type or more mature sense of humour and was really entertaining.   Same with the New Adventures of Pinocchio again a great program for kids in the day and not a lot like Disney.  Before Uncle Bobby around 1963, CFTO had another kids program with an older gentleman, a professor but  I can't recall the name right now, another favourite for a while.

Thinking back, there really was a lot of local children's shows on TV back then, on CFTO, CBLT and CHCH.  And of course Rocket Ship 7 from WKBW.   Thanks for posting the article RA, and a tip of the pen to Bill Brioux for remembering the talented George Feyer!

 

April 23, 2020 7:22 pm  #3


Re: The strange, forgotten story behind "Pick a Letter with George Feyer"

paterson1 wrote:

Same with the New Adventures of Pinocchio again a great program for kids in the day and not a lot like Disney.  Before Uncle Bobby around 1963,

The one thing that never made sense to me on that Pinocchio cartoon was a lyric in the theme song that said, "He can walk, and talk and fly..." Even as a kid, I could never understand how a puppet made of wood could fly. I still don't get it all these years later. 

paterson1 wrote:

CFTO had another kids program with an older gentleman, a professor but  I can't recall the name right now, another favourite for a while.

I think that was called "The Professor's Hideaway." I personally have no memory of this show, but I'm aware it was on in the early 60s. One of our posters, Mace, wrote this on SOWNY back in July 2018.

"Here is probably all you will ever find out about Professor's Hideaway. It ran on CFTO from Jan 2, 1961-1964 in 60 and 90 minute versions. "Adventures from the Professor's [Stan Francis] hilltop laboratory, with Sampson, the cowardly dog, X and Y, the undercover raccoons, the Raven, and a couple of pixies who dance to Percy Faith's Swedish Rhapsody. In a typical episode, the Prof makes plans to visit the moon, catches an episode of the Three Stooges, then tells kids how to grow sprouts from half a sweet potato."

The following pages from TV Guide in 1963 show it listed as "Professor's Cartoons" at 9 AM on Channel 9. (And by the way, look who's guest starring on Shari Lewis' show on NBC - Jerry Orbach, who not only had a huge career on Broadway but became better known to an entire generation of viewers as Det. Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order. And then there's the show a half hour earlier on Channel 7 - Jungle Jay's Cartoons. This must have been just a few months before he came north to CHUM.)

And by the way, what, exactly, was "Glencannon," a show listed on CFTO at 11 AM that Saturday morning? Can't say I've ever heard of it at all.  


     Thread Starter
 

April 23, 2020 7:52 pm  #4


Re: The strange, forgotten story behind "Pick a Letter with George Feyer"

Hmm, just found this on "Glencannon." Sounds like a British Bilko. But what an odd show to put on a Saturday morning. 

     Thread Starter
 

April 23, 2020 9:31 pm  #5


Re: The strange, forgotten story behind "Pick a Letter with George Feyer"

I remember Pick a Letter with George Feyer as well....   although I would not be viewing it until the mid 60s...  about 4 or 5 years of age...   Mr. Feyer in his tie and jacket, smiling and drawing in his picture frame... 

btw, take a close look at the TV Guide listing for Saturday June 8th, 1963 posted by RA....   Look at the the 9:00am program from WHEC / CBS 10 in Rochester....  Captain Kangaroo, with guest Artist George Feyer.












 

 

April 23, 2020 10:03 pm  #6


Re: The strange, forgotten story behind "Pick a Letter with George Feyer"

Wow, I didn't even see that. What a bizarre coincidence! Thanks for pointing that out. What are the odds?

     Thread Starter
 

April 24, 2020 8:31 am  #7


Re: The strange, forgotten story behind "Pick a Letter with George Feyer"

The Professor's Hideaway, that would have been the show! I remember I loved when the 3 Stooges came on as part of the program. A pretty ambitious program actually to be 60-90 minutes. I am pretty sure Bobby Ash replaced the professor late 63 or 1964 with Uncle Bobby which was a biggie kids show on CFTO for many years, and eventually ended up on CTV.   Notice how the NBC affiliates had some programming in colour back in 1963.

I also saw in the guide that WROC in Rochester was showing a police program called RCMP at 8am on Saturday mornings.  This was the CBC drama which ran one season 1959-60 for 39 episodes.  Even back then co-productions took place, the show was produced by CBC, BBC and ABC (Australia). RCMP was syndicated in the US.

Also from the guide at 10am CHCH ran a western set in Canada with Hudson's Bay. This 20 episode series was shot at the Kleinberg Studios which are still around today as Cinespace Film Studios.  Also it's interesting to see that CKCO Kitchener was still a CBC affiliate in 1963.  CKCO like all stations did a lot of local programming, and one of their most popular back then was Canadian Bandstand which came on Saturday's at 1pm.