For
downloadable curriculum vitae or resume, please visit the
Scholarship Page.
Below
are links to the several
sites that are related to both the original Howdy Doody series
and the Revival Series of the 1970's.
Howdy
Doody Online
(This site recalls the original series of the 1950's; you
can even listen and sing-a-long with some of the old tunes!)
Doodyville
(This site is about the revival series of the 1970's)
Howdy
at the Smithsonian
(See the Howdy puppet that was bequeathed to the Smithsonian
by his puppeteer/creator, Rufus Rose.)
Started
early...
My
interest in children's media began as a child. At only
11 years old, I hosted more than 50 episodes of a Saturday morning
one-hour television program for children in Boston, Massachusetts.
I was a little girl living in the "Friendly Forest"
amidst talking trees and animals! I made the animals talk using
puppeteering and ventriloquism. But as much as I enjoyed being
in front of the camera, I loved all the behind the scenes activities
and I wanted to make programming for children that was both educational
and entertaining. That's why I later studied television and video
production as an undergraduate, children's television research
and development in graduate school, and later instructional design.
Working
with Buffalo Bob and Howdy Doody!
Then,
when I was a little older, I had the opportunity to work with
the late great Buffalo Bob
Smith on all 130 episodes of the "New Howdy Show" in
the late seventies. I was the lead female playing Happy Harmony.
Those were fun-filled days and I will never forget the day that,
with the cameras rolling, I said my scripted line "They'd
never throw a pie in my face" fully prepared to receive
the "pie in the face" from the mischievous Clarabell
the Clown. What I didn't expect was that the director Errol Falcon
(knowing that I was a good sport) had placed a crew person on
the catwalk above me out of my sight poised with a big bucket
of water. As soon as the pie in the face was delivered, the bucket
of water followed. Errol was looking for that naturally surprised
look on my face and he got it! I loved working with Lew Andersen
who played Clarabell. He was an exceptionally talented musician,
too. Bob Smith, who I always called Buffalo Bob even years later,
was a perfectionist. He was also a master of cue cards. But I
never chanced it. I always came in knowing my script. We had a
great relationship.
I
also was second puppeteer on the show working with master puppeteer,
Pady Blackwood. I learned so much from that experience. While
I had lots of experience operating hand and rod puppets, I had
not yet worked marionettes. The marionettes for the Howdy show
were fairly complex and manipulated from a 20 foot high puppet
bridge. To prepare for the show, the producers sent me to Margo
Rose in New London, CT. She and her husband Rufus Rose had developed
the original puppets for the original Howdy Doody Show in the
early fifties! It was truly an honor to be trained by her. After
training, it was off to the set in Miami, Florida to test my new
skills alongside master puppeteer Pady Blackwood. I had heard
his reputation as and knew he had worked with Bill Baird, Sid
and Marty Kroft, and his own renown Dreamstuff Corporation. Needless
to say, I was a little nervous. Working with Pady was just wonderful,
however, and I learned so much from him.
Today
Today,
I still love working in children's media and on projects which
serve children either directly or indirectly. I currently serve
as president, new product research and development, and co-founder
of Creative Media Solutions as well as director of educational
media for Syracuse University's Center
for Digital Literacy. My most recent project is S.O.S.
for Information Literacy, an exciting database-driven Web
resource for educators teaching children valuable information
literacy skills, necessary for success in today's information-rich
world. I serve as co-principal investigator and project director
with Dr. Ruth Small, professor at the School
of Information Studies, Syracuse University. Creative Media
Solutions received funding from the U.S. Department of Education
for the project's Phase I research; the current development effort
is supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS) to Syracuse University's Center for Digital Literacy.
I
have also served as director of research and evaluation and co-producer
of the hit children's television program, Pappyland,
which
was nationally televised on The Learning Channel (TLC) from 1996
to 2003. Those "classic" Pappyland programs will soon
be airing in re-runs on PBS. By the way, my puppeteering background
came in handy on that show, too, as I played the part of Doodle
Bug, Lily (the flower), and Belle (the nosey telephone). On one
episode, Doodlebug seeks recognition as the "Best Doodler
in the Land." His efforts of filling Pappyland with wonderful
doodles are misunderstood, however, and he finds himself in trouble.
View
this clip in which I play the parts of Belle, Lily and Doodlebug
including puppeteering! In the end, Doodlebug is surprised when
a drawing comes to life with a special message for him. View
Clip #2.
My
unique interdisciplinary background blends practical experience
and an understanding of the electronic and broadcast media with
strong credentials in the education field. This combination qualifies
me to tackle children's media projects which demand a melding
of knowledge and skills to achieve a successful outcome. I welcome
you to puruse my Web site for descriptions and examples of work
accomplished.
I
love puppeteering and creating voices for characters. I had
a lot of fun with that on which aired on The Learning Channel from 1996 to 2003.
Check out the video clips below. In the first one, I play
all three puppet characters!
The
original "Howdy Doody Show" was one of the
very first and most popular children's television programs
of the 1950's. At the risk of dating yourself...
QUESTION:
Do you remember the name of the puppet character who played
the mayor of Doodyville?
Curious?
If you don't remember (or you're just too young to have even
heard of Howdy Doody), here is the ANSWER!
My
interest in children's media began as a child. At only
11 years old, I hosted more than 50 episodes of a Saturday morning
one-hour television program for children in Boston, Massachusetts.
I was a little girl living in the "Friendly Forest"
amidst talking trees and animals! I made the animals talk using
puppeteering and ventriloquism. But as much as I enjoyed being
in front of the camera, I loved all the behind the scenes activities
and I wanted to make programming for children that was both educational
and entertaining. That's why I later studied television and video
production as an undergraduate, children's television research
and development in graduate school, and later instructional design.
Bob
Smith on all 130 episodes of the "New Howdy Show" in
the late seventies. I was the lead female playing Happy Harmony.
Those were fun-filled days and I will never forget the day that,
with the cameras rolling, I said my scripted line "They'd
never throw a pie in my face" fully prepared to receive
the "pie in the face" from the mischievous Clarabell
the Clown. What I didn't expect was that the director Errol Falcon
(knowing that I was a good sport) had placed a crew person on
the catwalk above me out of my sight poised with a big bucket
of water. As soon as the pie in the face was delivered, the bucket
of water followed. Errol was looking for that naturally surprised
look on my face and he got it! I loved working with Lew Andersen
who played Clarabell. He was an exceptionally talented musician,
too. Bob Smith, who I always called Buffalo Bob even years later,
was a perfectionist. He was also a master of cue cards. But I
never chanced it. I always came in knowing my script. We had a
great relationship.
I
also was second puppeteer on the show working with master puppeteer,
Pady Blackwood. I learned so much from that experience. While
I had lots of experience operating hand and rod puppets, I had
not yet worked marionettes. The marionettes for the Howdy show
were fairly complex and manipulated from a 20 foot high puppet
bridge. To prepare for the show, the producers sent me to Margo
Rose in New London, CT. She and her husband Rufus Rose had developed
the original puppets for the original Howdy Doody Show in the
early fifties! It was truly an honor to be trained by her. After
training, it was off to the set in Miami, Florida to test my new
skills alongside master puppeteer Pady Blackwood. I had heard
his reputation as and knew he had worked with Bill Baird, Sid
and Marty Kroft, and his own renown Dreamstuff Corporation. Needless
to say, I was a little nervous. Working with Pady was just wonderful,
however, and I learned so much from him.
